Donating a Kidney for Transplantation

Transplant and donor patients need to undergo the transplant protocol and a cross match test prior to admission to the hospital to confirm that the recipient and donor are compatible.

For the donor, the transplant protocol is very similar to that of the recipient, and consists of lab work, X-Rays and consults with specialists:

Lab work:

• Blood Type and Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Blood chemistry: Urea, Glucose, Blood Urea Nitrogen, Sodium, Creatinine, Potassium, Magnesium, Chloride, Phosphorus, Calcium, Liver function tests (LFT), cholesterol, uric acid, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein.
• Coagulation tests: Prothrombin time, Fibrinogen, Partial Thromboplastin time
• Urinalysis and Urine culture
• Test for albuminuria (only in preemptive transplant patients, or specific situations ie. in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) to determine basal protein loss) and 24 hr. creatinine clearance test.
• Pharyngeal culture
• Sputum and urine staining and/or Tuberculin skin test and/or Lowenstein-Jensen culture and/or PCR (to test for tuberculosis)
• Serology for HIV, Hepatitis B, C, CMV, Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL)
  test.
• Immunology tests: Immunoglobulin A, G, E, M. Complement C3/C4 levels, anti-nuclear antibody, anti-basal membrane antibody, anti-DNA antibody and others if necessary.
• Prostate Specific Antigen (in men 40 yrs. and older)
• Pap smear (in women)

X -Rays and Imaging:

• Abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds
• Uro & Angio CAT scans
• Chest x-rays
• Electrocardiogram

Consultations with Specialists:

• Cardiologists
• Psychiatrists
• Urologists
• And others if needed