Living Kidney Donor Paired Exchange

What is living kidney donor paired exchange?

Living kidney donation is possible because we're born with two kidneys and can live a healthy life with just one. A living donor can help a relative, friend or even a stranger if their blood types are compatible. If not, paired exchange kidney donation ensures your intended recipient receives a kidney.

A paired exchange matches two living donors and two compatible recipients. Your donated kidney goes to a recipient who needs it, and your loved one gets the kidney they need from a compatible donor.

We have several options for matching compatible kidney donors and recipients:

Paired exchange kidney transplants

When a donor and recipient aren't a match, we arrange a process called paired exchange. This process involves a swap between two donor-recipient pairs, enabling us to match compatible pairs.

Living donor chains

A living donor chain begins with a donor who gives a kidney to anyone on the waitlist who is a match. Then, that recipient's incompatible donor gives their kidney to another recipient, and so on. The chain can link many donors and recipients, ensuring many people receive the organs they need.

Advance kidney donation

If someone may need a kidney in the future, a loved one can donate a kidney now. Through our living kidney donor advance donation program, the person in need receives a voucher for a kidney. When they're ready for a transplant, they'll receive an available kidney from a different living donor.

Why choose UCSF Health for living kidney donation?

UCSF Health is a national leader in living kidney donation. You'll find:

• Highly experienced experts. Our surgeons have performed hundreds of living kidney donation surgeries since 1999, making them among the most experienced in the U.S.
• Expertise in laparoscopic donor surgery. A laparoscopic (minimally invasive) procedure typically means less pain, shorter recovery and a low complication rate for donors.
• Robotic donor surgery. Robot-assisted surgery for kidney removal enables greater precision, leading to a safer procedure.
• Attentive recovery care for donors. You stay in the hospital for one or two days after kidney donation. We monitor you closely after surgery. Your first follow-up appointment at the hospital is within two weeks of donation to ensure you are recovering well. You return for follow-up appointments at six, 12 and 24 months after surgery.

Living kidney donation benefits

Living kidney donation has many benefits for the organ recipient. It reduces their time on the organ waitlist, so they are typically in better health when they receive the kidney. Organs from living donors produce better outcomes and survival rates than organs from deceased donors.