Perioperative Mortality and Long-term Survival Following Live Kidney Donation

Abstract

With a significant organ shortage in the United States and with minimal expansions of the deceased donor pool in recent decades, many patients with end-stage renal disease are turning to live donor kidney transplantation to improve survival and quality of life.^1-5 Although many healthy adults are eager and willing to accept the risk of donor nephrectomy to help their loved ones, the responsibility lies within the medical community to quantify these risks as best as possible and to make this information available to those considering donation.