Living donor kidney transplant

When you give a kidney as a living donor, you save a life. People choose to donate a kidney for many reasons. Some donate to a family member or friend in need. Others act because they want to make a difference in someone’s life, even if they don’t know that person.

For most people, donation is emotionally satisfying. Some say it brings them peace, joy, clarity, and hope. Others say donation has given them a new perspective and made them look at themselves, their families, and the world differently. Almost all living donors—99 percent—say they’d recommend donating a kidney.

Thousands of people need a new kidney, but there aren’t enough available. In the U.S., over 90,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list. In 2020, only about 17,000 people received a kidney from a deceased donor. More than 4000 people die each year while waiting for a kidney transplant. Additionally, organs transplanted from living donors typically last longer than from a deceased donor, allowing the recipient a chance at a better quality of life.

Living kidney donor requirements

The safety of our living donors is our top priority, so donors must meet several requirements. In general, kidney donors must be between ages 20 and 70, have normal kidney function, and be in good physical and mental health. In addition, they should have:

• A designated primary care provider
• A support system to assist during recovery
• Health insurance

We take each potential donor through a comprehensive medical evaluation to make sure they’re healthy enough for donation.

What are the types of kidney donation?

Donating a kidney always benefits a recipient, but there are situations where the donor and recipient may not know each other. The three types of living kidney donation are:

• Directed donation: The donor knows who’ll receive the donated kidney. This is the most common type of living kidney donation, often between biological relatives who are a match.
• Paired kidney donation: If the donor and intended recipient aren’t a match, there may be a match with a different donor-recipient pair. The donors and recipients then get swapped, and each recipient receives a transplanted kidney. Sometimes, long chains of paired donations occur, which allows for the best possible matches for many recipients.
• Non-directed kidney donation (altruistic donation): A donor chooses to donate a kidney to an unknown recipient.

Penn Medicine partners with the National Kidney Registry, an organization that coordinates kidney transplants in the U.S. This partnership enables efficient matching of donor-recipient pairs.

Most people are born with two kidneys and can live a full and healthy life with just one, but we understand that donating a kidney is a significant decision.

At Penn Medicine, you’re in the excellent hands of the most experienced living donor kidney transplant program in the region. Our team performs more than 70 living donor kidney transplants each year. Our doctors are also leaders in research to make transplant surgery safer for donors and recipients and make donated organs last longer.

Penn Medicine’s Center for Living Donation is dedicated solely to donors. We work with you to make sure donating a kidney is right—and safe—for you.

Our team is here to offer the best medical care and continuous support throughout the process. We also add personal touches, like donor gift bags and personalized music in the operating room, to make donors feel comforted and valued. After surgery, we provide close follow-up care for continued good health.

Living with one kidney

People lead healthy lives with one kidney, and your life after donation will be nearly identical to your life today. Your remaining kidney will grow in size to be able to do the job of filtering your blood and producing urine. After you heal from surgery, you may even forget at times that you’ve donated a kidney.

During your education sessions, we teach you how to protect your remaining kidney. Steps to take include avoiding certain medications and scheduling routine appointments with your primary care provider.