Transplant : Programs : Living Kidney Donation

For many patients, a donated living kidney is their best hope for long-term survival.  Living kidneys tend to last longer than those procured after a person dies, and the waiting time for a living kidney is much shorter.  At the MUSC Transplant Center, we strive to make the best possible match between a living donor and the transplant recipient.  We ask transplant patients to talk to family members and friends about donating a kidney, since most potential donors want their kidney to go to someone they know. Find out who can be a donor*. (En español*)
 

The Live Donor Exchange Program is also an option for those interested in donating a kidney to an unknown recipient. Through this program, the donor’s kidney goes to a patient who would come to the MUSC Transplant Center for the transplant. These exchanges can be anonymous.  For more information about living kidney donation, contact livedonor@musc.edu.

Living Kidney Donation Steps
Those interested in donating a kidney:

• Receive complete educational materials about what to expect (En español*)
• Complete a health history form that includes blood type
• Undergo an extensive evaluation process to determine the donor’s health and compatibility with the recipient

Once these steps are completed successfully, we schedule surgery to transfer the living kidney from the donor to the transplant recipient.

Financial Concerns
The donor should not be billed for the evaluation or kidney removal.

Laparoscopic Kidney Removal
One of the factors that makes the MUSC Transplant Center an ideal place for a living kidney donation is our surgeons’ extensive experience with laparoscopic kidney removal, of the kidney though the use of a laparoscope. This minimally-invasive technique allows donors to recover faster, with less pain, thereby making it easier to donate a living kidney.

The MUSC Transplant Center has performed more than five hundred living kidney transplants. To see specific data about these life-saving transplants, contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Find out about other living kidney donation resources. 

Please read about living kidney donations in the May 2009 issue of The Mind and Body e-newsletter.

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