Donor nephrectomy - Care at Mayo Clinic - Mayo Clinic

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Donor nephrectomy

Mayo Clinic s approach

Laparoscopic nephrectomy procedure at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery to remove a living donor's kidney (laparoscopic nephrectomy).

Start Your Donor Evaluation

Begin the process of becoming a living kidney or liver donor by clicking here to complete a health history questionnaire. Paired-organ donation Open pop-up dialog box Close

Paired-organ donation

In paired-organ donation, living donors and their recipients aren't compatible for a transplant. However, the donor of each pair is compatible with the recipient of the other pair. If both donors and recipients are willing, doctors may consider a paired-organ donation. Living-donor organ donation chain Open pop-up dialog box Close

Living-donor organ donation chain

More than one pair of incompatible living donors and recipients may be linked with a nondirected living donor to form a donation chain in order to receive compatible organs. Team approach. Mayo Clinic's integrated teams of surgeons, doctors, transplant nurses, pharmacists and others work together to provide your care, from your evaluation through post-surgery care. After you donate an organ, living-donor coordinators and other transplant staff members will offer you support and follow-up care for several months after your surgery. Coordinated care. Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion - your care is discussed among the team, your test results are available quickly, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and your transplant care team works together to determine what's best for you. Surgical expertise. Mayo Clinic surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery to remove a living donor's kidney (laparoscopic nephrectomy) for a kidney transplant, which is less painful and has a shorter recovery time for the donor. Mayo Clinic surgeons perform nearly 800 kidney transplants a year, including numerous complex surgical procedures at campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. As a three-site institution, Mayo Clinic has one of the largest living-donor kidney transplant and paired-kidney donor programs in the United States. Kidney transplant in children. At Mayo Clinic s campus in Minnesota, highly skilled doctors trained in treating children with kidney disease (pediatric nephrologists) evaluate and treat children who may need kidney transplants. At Mayo Clinic s campus in Arizona, nephrologists partner with Phoenix Children's Hospital to treat children who may need kidney transplants. Research. Mayo Clinic researchers actively study the health of donors after transplant surgery to improve results. At Mayo Clinic, you may have access to ongoing clinical trials, research and new treatments as part of your living-donor transplantation experience. Care team roles Health care professionals trained in many medical specialties work together as a team to ensure a favorable outcome for your donor nephrectomy.

Altruistic kidney donor shares his experience

Expertise and rankings

Donor nephrectomy consultation at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic has one of the largest living-donor kidney transplant programs in the U.S.

Experience

As a three-site institution, Mayo Clinic has one of the largest living-donor kidney transplant programs in the United States. At its campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, Mayo Clinic performs hundreds of living-donor laparoscopic nephrectomies and kidney transplants each year, including numerous complex surgical procedures. Mayo Clinic kidney transplant surgeons have performed more than 7,000 procedures using state-of-the-art technology since performing their first kidney transplant in 1963. The Mayo Clinic kidney transplant team has extensive experience in the most complex types of kidney transplantation, including ABO incompatible transplant, positive crossmatch transplant and paired donation, and has a kidney transplant metabolic program.

Advanced treatment and technology

Mayo Clinic surgeons have extensive expertise with all types of living-donor transplant surgeries, including minimally invasive procedures, HIV-positive organ donation, paired-organ donation and other complex procedures.

Innovation and research

Mayo Clinic transplant researchers take a leading role in efforts to find new, improved ways to conduct all aspects of transplantation, expanding the availability of transplants, reducing risks and improving the outcomes of transplantation. Our experts have pioneered many procedures, including living-donor kidney transplants and kidney transplants before dialysis is needed. The Mayo Clinic Transplant Center supports many studies for kidney transplant and living-donor research.

Nationally recognized expertise

Kidney transplant outcomes at Mayo Clinic compare favorably with the national average.

Locations travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic Transplant Center offers care and housing for transplant patients and their families in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states. For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Mayo Clinic s campus in Arizona

Mayo Clinic s campus in Florida

Mayo Clinic s campus in Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Health System

Costs and insurance

Living-donor frequently asked costs and insurance questions

Learn more Mayo Clinic has dedicated transplant financial services representatives and social workers who can assist you with insurance and financial questions regarding your living organ donation. Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people. In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. Many insurance companies require you to get preapproval authorization prior to transplant services.

For international patients

Mayo Clinic has dedicated international patient account representatives who can assist you with questions regarding your costs and insurance. Read more about international financial services.

Case managers

Mayo Clinic financial staff will work closely with your case managers from your insurance company. Your case manager, who is assigned to you, is available to answer questions and calls related to your insurance costs. More information about billing and insurance: Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota Mayo Clinic Health System By Mayo Clinic Staff Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic Doctors & Departments May 18, 2022 Print Share on: FacebookTwitter Show references KDIGO clinical practice guideline on the evaluation and management of candidates for kidney transplantation. Transplantation. 2020; doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000003136. AskMayoExpert. Living donor nephrectomy (adult). Mayo Clinic; 2020. About the kidney. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/organ-datasource/kidney/. Accessed Aug. 23, 2021. National data: Donors recovered in the U.S. by donor type ⸺ Kidney. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/#. Accessed Aug. 23, 2021. Baez-Suarez Y, et al. Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy: Evaluation of the learning curve. Transplant Proceedings. 2020; doi:10.1016/j.transproceed.2019.10.010. O'Keeffe LM, et al. Mid- and long-term health risks in living kidney donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2018; doi:10.7326/M17-1235. Wirken L, et al. Psychosocial consequences of living kidney donation: A prospective multicentre study on health-related quality of life, donor-recipient relationships and regret. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. 2019; doi:10.1093/ndt/gfy307. Suwelack B, et al. Investigation of the physical and psychosocial outcomes after living kidney donation ⸺ A multicenter cohort study (SoLKiD ⸺ Safety of Living Kidney Donors). BMC Nephrology. 2018; doi:10.1186/s12882-018-0871-z. Sharma V, et al. Living donor kidney transplantation: Let's talk about it. Clinical Medicine. 2020; doi:10.7861/clinmed.2020-0047. Yu ASL, et al., eds. Considerations in living kidney donation. Brenner & Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 24, 2021. Living donation. United Network for Organ Sharing. https://unos.org/transplant/living-donation/. Accessed Aug. 24, 2021. Donate organs while alive. Human Resources & Services Administration. https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/process/living-donation. Accessed Aug. 24, 2021. What to expect after donation. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/what-expect-after-donation. Accessed Aug. 25, 2021. Helpful tips for living donors and caretakers. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/infotips. Accessed Aug. 25, 2021. About the operation: How to prepare for living donation transplant surgery. United Network for Organ Sharing. https://transplantliving.org/living-donation/about-the-operation/. Accessed Aug. 25, 2021. Find a transplant hospital: You have choices. United Network for Organ Sharing. https://transplantliving.org/before-the-transplant/find-transplant-hospital/. Accessed Aug. 25, 2021. Hart A, et al. OPTN/SRTR 2019 annual data report: Kidney. American Journal of Transplantation. 2021; doi:10.1111/ajt.16502. Kidney transplant. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. http://www.srtr.org. Accessed Aug. 25, 2021. Guidance for the informed consent of living donors. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources/guidance/guidance-for-the-informed-consent-of-living-donors/. Accessed Aug. 31, 2021. Dialysis. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/dialysisinfo. Accessed Aug. 31, 2021. Programs for donor/recipient pairs with incompatible blood types. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/incompatiblebloodtype. Accessed Aug. 31, 2021. 42 CFR Part 482 Medicare program: Hospital conditions of participation: Requirements for approval and re-approval of transplant centers to perform organ transplants; Final rule. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/CFCsAndCoPs/transplantcenters. Accessed Sept. 9, 2021. Xiao Q, et al. Comparison of surgical techniques in living donor nephrectomy: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. Annals of Transplantation. 2020; doi:10.12659/AOT.926677. Living donor surgery. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/the-surgery. Accessed Sept. 9, 2021. 10 questions to ask before having an operation. American College of Surgeons. https://www.facs.org/education/patient-education/patient-resources/prepare/10-questions. Accessed Sept. 10, 2021. Dingli D (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Oct. 6, 2021.

Donor nephrectomy Living kidney donor laparoscopic nephrectomy Living-donor organ donation chain

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