Celebrating Excellence in Living Donor Kidney Transplant

The statistics are startling: At any time in the U.S., more than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Organs donated from those who have recently died do not keep up with the number of people needing transplants. Living donor kidney transplant takes place when a living person such as a sibling, parent, adult child or someone unrelated, donates a kidney.

Benefits of Living-Donor Kidney Transplant

Compared to kidneys from the deceased-donor kidney list, living donor kidneys last longer and have better kidney function. Wait time is frequently substantially shorter for living donor transplants as well. When donors are not compatible, the donor-recipient pair can enroll in the kidney-exchange program to find a match as well.

At University Hospitals, living kidney donation is performed laparoscopically, minimizing incision size. Most donors are in the hospital for a few days, and are able to return to work in a few weeks. Transplant procedures and follow-up care are performed at UH Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

UH sets the standard in living donor kidney transplant as we continue to investigate state-of-the-art ways to improve transplant outcomes.