Deceased and Living Donation

Kidneys for transplant may come from a person who has died (a deceased donor), or from a healthy living person, most often a family member or friend, who offers to donate a kidney (a living donor). Each year approximately 7,000 people receive transplanted kidneys from living donors and 13,000 receive kidneys from deceased donors.

Following are some questions that kidney patients frequently ask when considering transplant as a treatment option:

Is there a difference between having a living or deceased donor transplant? Yes. Living donor transplants last longer than deceased donor transplants because a living donor kidney is removed from a healthy donor in the operating room and transplanted right away. Generally living donor transplants last 15-20 years and deceased donor transplants last 10-15 years.

What if I don’t have a living donor? Patients who do not have a living donor can wait on the national organ transplant waiting list to get a deceased donor transplant.

Which kind of transplant happens faster? If a living donor is available, a living donor transplant happens faster, often within one year. With a deceased donor transplant, on average most patients have to wait 4 years until a kidney is available from the list, and the length of the wait varies greatly by blood type.

How does the waiting list work? The government and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) manage a national waiting list of patients who need kidneys. Patients who want a deceased donor kidney are evaluated by their transplant center. If a patient is healthy enough for a transplant, their medical information is put into the national computer list. When someone dies and their family agrees to donate organs, that person’s medical information is also put into the computer. The computer then matches the kidney with someone on the waiting list based on how long the patient has been waiting and medical factors like blood type.

How long is the average wait for a kidney on the waiting list? Nationally, on average most patients wait 4 years for a kidney from the waiting list. About 7,000 people donate their kidneys after they die every year but with over 80,000 people waiting for kidneys there are not enough. Sometimes a matching kidney is never found. If you want to get a kidney from a deceased donor, the most important thing to do is to get on the list as soon as possible.

Is the waiting list fair? National rules have been set up to make sure that everyone has an equal chance of receiving a kidney from the waiting list. Matching is based on medical factors and the time patients have spent waiting on the list. Your income, race, and age do not prevent you from receiving a kidney, nor do they move you up the list.