Where does a kidney come from? Kidneys for transplantation come from two different sources – living donors, or non-living (cadaveric) donors. Living donors are usually immediate family members or sometimes spouses. Cadaver kidneys are obtained from persons who have willed their kidneys before their death by signing organ donor cards. Permission for donation can also be given by the descendent’s family at the time of death. All donors are carefully screened to prevent any transmissible diseases. How is the right kidney found for me? Determining in advance whether a donated kidney is likely to be tolerated by your body is crucial to the success of your transplant. It is essential that your blood type and the donor’s blood type – whether Type A, B, AB, or O – be compatible. Your tissue type and the donor’s must also be compatible. We use an HLA (human leukocyte antigens) blood test to determine your tissue type, which is the unique design of the tissue antigens that you inherited. Your blood will also be tested to determine whether you have antibodies to other tissue. Antibodies are substances your body produces to destroy foreign materials. While you wait for a kidney, you are asked to supply several tubes of blood each month to monitor these antibodies. Some of the blood will be stored and used for testing compatibility with potential donors. All blood tests are performed in our own Tissue Typing Lab, which was one of the first in the country when it was founded in 1968. The results of your blood tests are entered by our technologists into a computer at United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) so that when a cadaver donor kidney becomes available, the UNOS computer can evaluate whether or not you are an appropriate candidate for that kidney. The Kidney Transplant Procedure Kidney transplantation involves placing a healthy kidney into the body where it can perform all of the functions that a failing kidney cannot. In most cases, the diseased kidneys, located in the back area, remain undisturbed. The new kidney is positioned in the pelvic area where it is surgically connected to nearby blood vessels. Thanks to years of experience, research, and improved medications that prevent rejection, kidney transplants are overwhelmingly successful and post-operative complications for transplant patients are few. On average, 85-90% of kidney transplants are successful for at least two years, the traditional measurement point for success, and most for many years more.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:06:32 +0000
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