Organ Donation
Give the Gift of Life
It is UMC’s responsibility to inquire if you have an organ/tissue donor card. You and/or your family have the right to choose to donate or not donate organs/tissue.
This decision will in no way affect your care.
If you have any questions or wish to complete a donor card, please call Nevada Donor Network at 702-796-9600.
Living Kidney Donation
For many patients, a kidney from a living donor is their best hope for long-term survival. There are many advantages to receiving a kidney from a living donor:
- The kidney from a living donor will last longer than those recovered from a deceased donor.
- The waiting time for a living donor kidney is much shorter.
At the UMC Center for Transplantation, we strive to make the best possible match between a living donor and the transplant recipient. We ask transplant patients to talk to family members and friends about donating a kidney, since most potential donors want their kidney to go to someone they know.
Living Kidney Donation Steps
For those interested in donating a kidney:
- Contact UMC's Living Donor coordinator at 702-383-2224.
- Participate in the Living Donor Education Seminar at the Center for Transplantation to learn how to become a living kidney donor.
- Obtain a blood test to determine if your blood and tissue types are compatible with the organ recipient.
- Undergo a thorough medical and psychosocial evaluation to ensure that you are in good health and meet donation criteria.
The transplant team will evaluate you to determine if you can donate a kidney. The transplant staff will interview you, and you will need to provide your medical history. Several other tests, including detailed imaging of your kidneys, will be performed to ensure that you are in good health and that you meet donation criteria.
The transplant staff will discuss with you and your family the benefits and risks of donating an organ and will answer your questions. After you donate an organ, our living donor coordinators and other transplant staff members will offer valuable support and follow-up care for several months after your surgery.
Financial Concerns
The donor will not be billed for the evaluation or kidney removal operation. The medical costs are usually covered by the recipient’s insurance. Not all travel expenses are covered, and the potential donor may be required to pay some out-of-pocket costs. However, the National Living Donor Assistance Center provides financial assistance to those who want to donate an organ, but who are unable to afford the travel and subsistence expenses associated with living organ donation.
Laparoscopic Kidney Removal
The UMC transplant surgeons have extensive experience and expertise performing minimally invasive surgery to remove a donor's kidney (laparoscopic donor nephrectomy) for a kidney transplant, as an alternative to open surgery.
During this minimally invasive procedure, surgeons access your kidney through three small incisions in your abdomen using specialized surgical instruments and a camera (laparoscope).
After a minimally invasive surgery, you may have a quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, and less pain than after open surgery. Many kidney donors return to their normal activities or job within a few weeks of donating a kidney.
Please review the brochure linked below for more information regarding living kidney donation:
Related Links
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