A person who is no more and has given written approval to donate his or her organs for transplant is a deceased donor. Besides, a living donor is one where the kidney is removed from a healthy living person and transplanted into another person whose kidney is infected and needs a transplant. In most cases, this person is related by blood, i.e., family, sibling, or child. In this blog, we will see the best options for a kidney transplant in living donor vs deceased donor.
The below individuals can also be living kidney donors that include:
• Strangers
• Good Samaritans.
Cases linked to end-stage renal diseases are on the rise. Organ shortage is one of the major challenges in transplantation. Therefore, utilizing deceased donors is becoming increasingly popular.
Kidney Transplant Donors and Their Types
Here are some essential guidelines for kidney transplant donors including their types:
Guidelines for Deceased Kidney Donors
The guidance for such kidney donors can vary from country to country. For example in Turkey, the person donating a kidney must be at least a fourth degree relative of the patient.
Many types of deceased kidney donors persist, some are listed below:
Types of Deceased Donors
Standard Criteria Donors (SCD):
People of 50 years and below who do not meet any of the criteria listed below for Expanded Criteria Donors.
Expanded Criteria Donors (ECD):
- These organs come from donors over the age of 60 or between the ages of 50 and 59 who have at least two of the following criteria:
- A history of high blood pressure, a CVA (stroke), or a creatinine level higher than the normal laboratory result (1.5 mg/dl).
- Nearly 15-20 % of donors in the United States fall in Expanded Criteria.
Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD):
These donors do not fit the usual definition of brain death. Their hearts had stopped before the organs were extracted.
Double Kidney Transplants (Duals):
Throughout the year, we may have access to donors who fall on the end of the Expanded Criteria Donor. According to research, utilizing both kidneys in the same recipient is better than using only one.
Donors with High-Risk Social Behavior:
- High-risk behavior is linked with such donors, such as:
- Sexually transmitted diseases, drug use, or incarceration.
- During the organ recovery process, all of these donors are checked for transmissible diseases. You will be informed about the high-risk conduct.
Guidelines for Living Kidney Donors
A donor’s excretory organ, that is healthy, is removed and transplanted into a person suffering from renal failure. The living donor is often a close family member.
The living donor might be:
- Uncle,
- Aunt, cousin, or
- Also a spouse or friend.
The 2 types of donors are:
Direct Donor:
The donor selects a specific individual to receive the organ. A donor may be biologically related, such as:
- A parent,
- Child, or
- Nephew.
The donor may also be someone who is not biologically related but has a personal relationship with the recipient, which includes:
- A spouse,
- An important friend, or coworker.
An Unknown Donor
- The donor keeps his identity undisclosed. Also known as good Samaritans. Here both the receiving person and the donating person are unknown to one another. Depending on the blood group and medical needs, the donor and recipient are matched.
- The following attributes are necessary when a person receives a kidney from an unknown donor:
- Be healthy and emotionally capable of donating.
- Complete medical and other tests at a transplant clinic.
- Get connected to a donor team.
- Be well-informed and willing to proceed.
Who is Eligible to be a Living Donor?
A living donor renal transplant offers numerous advantages over a deceased donor renal transplant, the most notable of which is a much greater success rate.
The following criteria must be satisfied to be a living donor and later below the conditions for a non-living donor are listed:
Living Donor:
Health conditions like the proper functioning of the donor’s organs, and the overall health of the donor an important factors to be considered.
- Age: At least 18 years is the official age and people over 65 years should be in good health and may have to pass certain medical examinations.
- Lifestyle: A non-smoker is preferred or a person will have to give up smoking at least 6 weeks before the surgery.
- Decision-making: The risks and benefits of living donation should be analyzed. A wise decision without social pressure or for monetary gains can also be given thought.
Non-living Donor (Time since death)-Body organs:
- Depending on the time of death and functioning of the organs the health care expert will make sure the organ is fit for transplant.
- The maximum time the diseased organs can be utilized is 18 hours for the kidney after the death. The organ transplant normally takes about 24 hours and once this is complete, the body is handed to the family or other suitable person.
Better Long-Term Results for Kidney Transplant Recipients
- The excretory organ is transplanted immediately, after being removed from the donor by the surgeon. This increases the odds that the transplanted organ will operate instantly.
- A kidney from a living donor makes sure, the renal transplant is of superior quality. As per various reports it has shown that the success rate of such plants is around 97 % as compared to deceased donor kidneys where it showed 50 to 60 %.
Living Kidney Donors and the Risks They Are Likely to Encounter
- Procedure-related perils: These can include:
- Pain,
- Infection,
- Bleeding,
- Blood clots,
- Hernia, and
- Wound complications.
- Long-term risks include:
- Somewhat high blood pressure,
- Kidney failure that is less than 1 % of living donors,
- Damage to the nerve,
- Obstruction in the intestine,
- Diabetes.
Conclusion
It is a common trend that living donor recipients continue to have better long-term survival rates. The kidneys when transplanted from a living donor are known to last longer and this procedure has less risks also when compared to deceased donor transplants.
