Living-unrelated kidney donation: a single-center experience

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Transplant Surgery
• Immunology

Background:

• Living donor kidney transplantation is crucial for addressing organ shortages.
• Living-unrelated donors (LURDs) offer a viable alternative to living-related or deceased donors.
• Assessing the safety and efficacy of LURD kidney donation is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of kidney transplantation using living-unrelated donors.
• To assess the safety and recovery of living-unrelated kidney donors.
• To determine the feasibility of expanding living donor nephrectomy programs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 25 living-unrelated kidney donors and recipients.
• Pre-transplant evaluation of donor renal anatomy and function (creatinine clearance ≥ 75 cm³/min).
• Standardized nephrectomy procedure with post-operative pain management.

Main Results:

• 23 out of 25 transplanted kidneys are functioning (92% graft survival) with a mean serum creatinine of 1.8.
• Donor hospitalization averaged 3.9 days with a mean charge of $15,501.
• Donor complications were minimal: one hemorrhage requiring transfusion and one case of neural-related pain.

Conclusions:

• Living-unrelated kidney donation is safe and effective, achieving high graft survival rates.
• Broadening the application of living donor nephrectomy can increase transplantation rates by over 20%.
• Friends, family, and other non-related individuals can serve as successful kidney donors.