What to Expect

University Hospitals Transplant Institute Team Ensures a High Rate of Surgical Success

When possible, live donor kidney transplant surgery is performed using advanced minimally invasive techniques. This speeds recovery times for the living donor and recipient and reduces postoperative pain and complications.

Scheduling Surgery at a Convenient Time

While many kidney transplants are dependent on deceased donor organs and take months to years to schedule, surgery for living donor kidney transplant may be scheduled at a convenient time for donor and recipient.

At UH Transplant Institute’s Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program, patients are often admitted one day before surgery for a final evaluation and testing.

Donors may stay in the hospital for two to three days after surgery, while recipient may stay one to two weeks after a kidney transplant. The donation surgery itself usually takes about four hours.

All living donor kidney transplant surgeries are performed at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Follow Up Care

Doctors from UH Transplant Institute follow living donors for two years post-donation. Living donors are seen at two weeks post donation by a surgeon and then are seen by the nephrologist (kidney doctor) at six months, one year, and two years after donation. Follow up is important to ensure that living donors have not developed any risk factors for kidney disease. All living donors must have an established relationship with a primary care physician for follow up care on an annual basis for the rest of their lives.