Guidelines for Kidney Donation

Can anyone donate a kidney?

To be considered as a donor, a candidate must be:

1. Willing to donate
2. Between 18 and 55 years old (or receive special approval from the transplant team)
3. Within normal weight ranges
4. In excellent health with no current disease or illness (high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney stones, and cancer will prevent donation)
5. A compatible blood type (see chart below)
6. Able to pass the required medical evaluation.

What is meant by tissue-typing?

All recipients and donors must be tissue-typed prior to surgery. Tissue-typing involves a series of blood tests, and no tissue is actually removed from the donor or recipient. The blood tests identify and compare inherited markers on the blood cells and help the transplant staff predict how well the recipient’s body will accept the donated kidney. A successful transplant does not require identical markers on the recipient’s and donor’s blood cells.

What kind of medical evaluation is necessary?

Once an acceptable donor is identified, a medical evaluation is performed – with great care and consideration. The nephrologists and transplant team performing and reviewing the donor evaluation are very careful to protect the health of the donor. Approximately one-quarter of all willing donors are not accepted due to medical or other concerns.

The evaluation consists of three phases:

Phase I

Initiation of the Donation Process

1. Completed screening form
2. tissue typing, found to be an acceptable donor
3. 24 hour collection to evaluate kidney function

Phase II

Complete history and physical with height, weight, and blood pressure checks, with education regarding what it means to you to become a donor.
Multiple blood tests: routine chemistry, complete blood count, hepatitis and AIDS screens, clotting studies, viral studies, tissue-typing, etc.
Chest x-ray.
Microscopic urinalysis, urine culture
Pregnancy and PAP tests for all females
EKG – a short painless test to study the heart.
Interview with the Transplant Program social worker and financial coordinator
test called a spiral CT (a three-dimensional high density CT scan) are scheduled. During the test, dye is injected through a catheter. Then, x-rays are taken of the veins and arteries going to the kidneys. This is usually the last test completed and occurs after a final interview with the transplant/urologic surgeon. This test helps the surgeon decide which kidney to remove.

Phase III

Before the kidney donation is approved, the results of all of these tests are reviewed again by the Transplant Team, as a result of the above findings, other testing may be required. The donor’s safety takes precedence over donating a kidney because there is always the alternative of cadaveric donation for the potential transplant recipient.

Next, the donor will be evaluated by the surgeon performing the kidney removal, with the surgeon's approval, the surgery will be scheduled.

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