What are the advantages of a kidney transplant for both patient and donor?

The advantages to the Kidney Transplant recipient are more obvious, with the most significant quality of life improvement being the possibility of freedom from dialysis. Dialysis is an expensive long term treatment modality that can be eliminated with a new Kidney, thus making the transplant a cost effective option for those reliant upon dialysis. Beyond the debilitating limitations of regular dialysis appointments there are other complications that compromise the lives of those who suffer Kidney failure, including living with an ugly AV fistula to provide ready access for dialysis and the risk of infection.

The advantages or incentives for Kidney donors are more altruistic. However, many people do not realize when they sign a donor card or tick the box on their driving license that most of their organs can only be used under a very specific set of circumstances.

The ideal potential cadaveric (non-living) donor organ is taken from a patient who has just had life support terminated after they were left in a persistent vegetative state (essentially rendered Brain Dead) following some type of accident. Due to the necessity for controlled preservation of the vital organs following death they only remain viable due to the life sustaining machine and once this is turned off organs are made available for harvesting. Despite your wishes, whether your organs will be viable for transplant will depend on the circumstances of your death. However, there are opportunities for a healthy, highly committed individual to make a proactive choice during their lifetime that offers guaranteed use of suitable body components, all, or in some cases just part, of one of their vital organs: Kidney Donation is just one example of this.

Living-Related (or Unrelated) Donor Nephrectomy: Kidney Donation. You can live a perfectly normal life with just one Kidney. Although it is always a serious commitment to undertake elective Surgery, it can now be accomplished by accessing the Kidney via less intrusive Laparoscopic Surgery with a much smaller bikini line incision to remove the donated organ. This method involves a shorter hospital stay for the donor as it is far less traumatic for the body.

The decision to donate a Kidney to a family member or unrelated friend is a huge commitment that should not be taken lightly, but it is one of the ways that you will be absolutely certain that your desire to donate is accomplished and you will benefit from witnessing the dramatic quality of life improvement in the lucky recipient. While there are no cast iron guarantees that it will work, as organs are sometimes rejected by the body, you will at least know that you tried best to help out.