By Dr. Kenneth Brayman
How does a living kidney donation work, and who is eligible to be a donor?
The first successful kidney transplant in humans was accomplished in 1954, and the transplant was from a living donor. Advances in immunosuppression (drugs that prevent rejection of donated organs) were achieved in the 1980s and 1990s, and the field of organ transplantation has grown remarkably over the past 40 years. Read more in The Daily Progress.
More than 100,000 people need an organ in the United States. Of those patients, almost 90,000 are waiting to receive a kidney. We can all check that box on our license to donate an organ if something happens to us, but did you know you could save a life now?
Living donors can lead healthy, long lives and save others. Kidneys from living donors are superior in almost every way. There are fewer complications, the kidney begins to work sooner, and it allows flexibility in planning surgeries. Read more from Dartmouth Health.