Risks and Benefits to the Living Donor

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Abstract
In the five decades since the first renal transplantation from a living donor took place, in 1954, donating a kidney has become common; according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 6647 people became living kidney donors in the United States in 2004. Indeed, donating a kidney is sufficiently safe that the emotional benefits to the donor generally far outweigh the risks. During my career as a pediatric nephrologist, I have discussed kidney donation with scores of potential donors, helping the transplantation team to explain to the potential recipient and donor the procedure and its associated risks and benefits. In . . .