Living Donor Kidney Transplant

What Is a Living Donor Kidney Transplant?

During a living donor kidney transplant, one kidney from a healthy living person is transplanted into the patient whose kidneys are not working as they should. People only need one functioning kidney to live a normal life, so donating is safe for many healthy individuals.

Due to a shortage of deceased donor organs, nearly 100,000 are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the United States. It can take up to four years for a deceased donor kidney to become available, and some people become too sick in that time to have their surgery. A living donor kidney transplant offers someone with kidney failure the chance to live a longer, healthier life, with shorter wait times.

At UR Medicine, our transplant experts guide you through every step of the living donation process. We use minimally invasive techniques, including robot-assisted surgery, and care for both the donor and the recipient.

Who Can Be a Living Kidney Donor?

Many people can be kidney donors—you don’t have to be a family member to donate. Living kidney donors must:

Be between the ages of 18 and 70
Have normal kidney function and be in good physical health
Not have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other chronic conditions

Our transplant team will guide you through a full living donor evaluation to make sure donation is safe for you.

UR Medicine's Approach

We know that donating your kidney is a life-long commitment. At UR Medicine, we are here with you every step of the way.

Living Donor Evaluation and Surgery

The living donor evaluation process includes:

Medical testing
Surgical screening
Social work evaluation
Independent living donor advocate evaluation
Financial counseling
Clinical nutrition counseling
Psychological consultation

You’ll have a dedicated living donor advocate to ensure your needs and rights are always protected.

UR Medicine is the first and only kidney transplant center in the Northeast offering robotic surgery for kidney transplant recipients. With robotic surgery, the surgeon performs the operation but uses the robot and the instruments as additional tools to enable a more precise surgery.

The donor kidney is removed through a minimally invasive procedure. Most donors return to normal activities within 4–6 weeks.

Our Team

Our definition of success extends far beyond the operating room. We commit the time and resources to making your life after the transplant itself as successful as possible. It takes a team to perform a transplant. We’ve gathered a team of expert surgeons from all over the world.

Our kidney donor team includes:

Transplant surgeons who perform your procedure.
Nephrologists who evaluate whether it is safe for you to donate and take care of your kidneys after surgery.
Independent living donor advocate, whose sole responsibility is to advocate for your best interests during the donation process.
Live donor coordinator who will guide you through the donation evaluation and recovery.
Social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists who will care for your mental and emotional health and help you access available resources.
Dietitians to help ensure you are getting proper nutrition and educate you on the type of diet you may need to follow before and after your donation.
Pharmacists to dispense medication, answer questions, and consult with doctors about which medications are best for you.
You are an important member of your care team! You will be kept up-to-date about your treatment plan and be involved in any decision-making.

What Sets Us Apart?

The University of Rochester founded the biopsychosocial model, which treats the whole patient rather than just disease. We consider all your life circumstances, personalizing your treatment based on what’s best for you. This includes providing a transplant psychiatrist and social worker who look after your mental and emotional well-being.

You can see the excellent outcomes of our transplantation program at the following links:

We aim to make this as simple and stress-free as possible for patients and their families. For patients traveling from out of town, we have partnerships with local organizations that provide affordable places to stay, such as the Hope Lodge and Harbor House.

We also partner with national organizations such as the National Living Donor Assistance Center to help eligible donors apply for financial assistance to offset the costs of donation.