Must living renal donors be hospitalized overnight prior to surgery?

To determine whether preoperative intravenous hydration was an important determinant of perioperative safety for the kidney donor or of early allograft function, 21 consecutive living donor transplants were assessed retrospectively. Donors hospitalized overnight received 1008 +/- 169 mL of intravenous fluid during the 8 h prior to operation, compared to no preoperative hydration among a cohort of 15 patients. No differences between intraoperative blood pressures, fluid administration, urine output, or time in the operating room were identified between groups. Postoperative allograft function was not compromised by the lack of hydration. We conclude that living kidney donors can safely undergo elective nephrectomy without prior intravenous hydration.