Living-Donor Kidney Transplant

More than 90,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list to potentially receive a kidney from a deceased donor. Unfortunately, there are not enough deceased donors to meet the need. The national kidney transplant waiting list average wait time can be up to four to six years, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

One way to shorten a patient’s waiting time and have a better transplant outcome is for the patient to receive a kidney from a living donor. A living-donor kidney transplant occurs when a donor is willing to donate one of his or her kidneys to a loved one or a stranger. Because we are born with two kidneys, it is possible for a living donor to donate one kidney to somebody who is in need of a transplant and still live a normal, healthy life post donation.

“Some people are born with just one kidney and often times they don't even know that they are born with just one kidney and they live their entire life without any problems,” says Stalin Dharmayan, MD, surgical director of kidney transplantation at UPMC Hamot and kidney transplant and vascular access surgeon.

Who Can Become a Living Kidney donor?

Dr. Dharmayan says that a thorough evaluation is completed for each potential living donor at UPMC Hamot.

“If there are any problems with the donor’s kidneys or if they are not in optimal health, we do not accept that donor into our program,” says Dr. Dharmayan. “Since this is a major surgery, we also explain the risks to potential donors in detail.”

Anyone between the ages of 18 and 75 and in good health with no medical problems can become a candidate to become a living kidney donor. A donor must be approved by a transplant program before they can move forward with the kidney donation process.

“If a potential candidate has health issues with the heart, lungs, or liver or transmittable diseases such as hepatitis B or HIV, they will not qualify to become a living donor,” says Dr. Dharmayan.

“A donor will also have to be free of any cancers or blood clotting problems. We do extensive, thorough testing on a donor candidate before we deem them as suitable to become a living donor.” UPMC Hamot also considers the body mass index (BMI) of potential living donors. BMI criteria may differ among transplant centers.

“The ideal BMI of a donor candidate is less than 30 but we also consider donors with a BMI between 30 to 35 after an extensive evaluation at UPMC Hamot,” says Dr. Dharmayan.

Living-donor Kidney Transplant Benefits

There are multiple benefits of living-donor kidney transplant compared to a deceased kidney transplant, including:

• A quicker recovery for both the recipient and donor.
• The recipient will have better kidney function, meaning that they will be able to live longer because their kidneys are able to function longer. Living donor kidneys can last 15 to 20 years on average once transplanted, while deceased donor kidneys last 10 to 15 years on average.
• The recipient can skip the waiting list and receive a new, life-saving kidney quicker. Because of this, it shortens the waiting list for those who are unable to receive a living-donor kidney transplant, thus saving more lives.
• With a living donor, the transplant can be scheduled in advance. The donor and recipient can plan their surgery dates, which can ensure that they have time off work or help at home during their recovery period. In contrast, when a recipient receives a kidney from a deceased donor, surgery must take place as soon as a kidney becomes available when the recipients may not be in their best health.

According to Dr. Dharmayan, living donors may experience minor side effects after surgery such as constipation and fatigue. Medications and rest can help combat these side effects. A living donor typically recovers faster than the recipient, with the donor often leaving the hospital within three days after surgery. Most living donors can resume their normal activities within three to four weeks after surgery.

Who is a Candidate for a Kidney Transplant?

According to Dr. Dharmayan, anybody who is diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and progressively declining GFR less than 25 ml/min, and anybody who is already on dialysis for chronic renal failure can be candidates for a living-donor kidney transplant at UPMC Hamot.

“The longer a patient is on dialysis, the sicker a patient can become,” says Dr. Dharmayan. “Anybody who needs a kidney transplant should consider finding a living donor, if possible.”

Why Choose UPMC

“UPMC is one of the pioneers in the field of transplantation and has been performing living donor transplants since the 1980s, so we have a lot of experience with living donor transplants and our outcomes are among the best in the country,” says Dr. Dharmayan. “Patients can expect a team approach to living donation and transplant at UPMC. They have support from social workers, dieticians, coordinators, and psychologists.”

Comprehensive kidney transplant care at UPMC is available for patients throughout Pennsylvania, with transplant surgery available at UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, Pa., and UPMC Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa.

“UPMC Hamot has performed living-donor kidney transplants since 2015. As the surgical director of the program, I now serve as the full-time kidney transplant surgeon,” says Dr. Dharmayan.

Dr. Dharmayan was appointed surgical director of the program in November 2024. UPMC Hamot also has a facility for providing vascular access for hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis catheter access, performed by Dr. Dharmayan. Rajesh Govindasamy, MD, serves as the full-time medical director and transplant nephrologist at UPMC Hamot.

"We as a team at UPMC Hamot are striving to provide patient-oriented care and high-quality kidney transplant services to residents in northwestern Pennsylvania,” says Dr. Govindasamy. “We are proud to provide all phases of kidney transplant care and follow up in a personalized community-based setting.”

"All the care and support that a patient with chronic kidney disease needs to improve their quality of life including dialysis access procedures, kidney transplantation and post-transplant care are now available under one roof at UPMC Hamot," says Dr. Dharmayan.

To refer a patient, or for more information, please call 814-877-3625 or email HamotTransplant@upmc.edu.