Conditions We Treat

• Chronic kidney disease (renal disease)
• Diabetes (Type 1 or 2)
• End-stage kidney disease

Treatments We Offer

• Altruistic donation
• Directed donation (from family)
• Donor nephrectomy (surgery to remove a healthy kidney from a living donor)
• Kidney-paired donation
• Living donation
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Non-directed donation (from non-family members)
• Remote donation
• Robotic transplant surgery
• Single-port laparoscopy

Services We Offer

• Immunosuppression management
• Nutritional assessments, including personalized meal plans
• Pharmacy care
• Post-transplant care, including surgical post-operative care and treatment for rejection and infection
• Support services, including social work, finance and insurance resources
• Transfusion-free care

Donate Well Program

What is the Donate Well program?

Donate Well is a personalized 8-week wellness program, designed to help living donors get healthy enough for organ donation.

Participants in the donor wellness program will receive access to nutrition consultations and a registered dietitian, Lifestyle Redesign coaching with an occupational therapist and Keck Medicine-approved fitness support. Participants will also receive a wellness starter kit with additional resources, such as:

• Blood pressure monitor
• Body weight scale
• Mindful USC mobile app
• Personalized meal plans
• Sports water bottle
• Wearable fitness tracker
• Wellness journal

Participants will be regularly monitored by the transplant team, through medical tests and other metrics, to determine if and when they are healthy enough to become a donor. Once a participant becomes a donor, the team will monitor them for two years after the surgery to encourage a permanent healthy lifestyle.

What are the eligibility requirements for Donate Well?

To be eligible for the program, candidates must be:

• 18 years or older
• Financially and psychologically suitable for organ donation
• Medically determined to be at risk for a fatty liver, prediabetes and/or metabolic syndrome

Frequently Asked Questions for Kidney Transplant Recipients

How do I get care for a living-donor kidney transplant at Keck Medicine of USC?

Your primary care provider or specialist can refer you to our kidney transplant team, or you can schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-USC-Care.

What is a living-donor kidney transplant?

A living-donor kidney transplant is an operation wherein a person receives a kidney from someone who is alive and healthy. Most people are born with two kidneys, but the human body functions perfectly well with one healthy kidney. This means that a person with two healthy kidneys can donate one.

Generally, people who receive kidney transplants tend to be healthier over time than people who stay on long-term dialysis. The majority of kidney transplants occur when the donor is deceased, but by comparison, living-donor kidney transplants have been shown to have better outcomes.

Are there advantages to getting a kidney from a living donor?

Yes. People who receive a kidney from a living donor generally have better kidney function and live longer compared to people who receive a kidney from a deceased donor. Another potential benefit of a living-donor kidney transplant is a shorter time on the organ donation wait-list. The wait-list for a kidney from a deceased donor can be quite long, especially in Southern California. Depending on your blood type, the wait can be more than 10 years. However, surgery will happen quite rapidly, oftentimes within hours, when a donor kidney is available.

However, with a living-donor kidney donation, you can:

• Schedule surgery once you and your donor complete your tests and are approved. At Keck Medicine, that’s usually less than a year.
• Get off the wait-list and stop dialysis sooner.
• Get your transplant while you’re healthier and your body is better able to handle surgery.
• Schedule your operation at a time that’s convenient for you and the donor.

What if my living donor is not a match?

If your living donor is not a match for you, we can help through the paired-kidney exchange. Paired-kidney exchange allows your living donor to donate a kidney to another compatible recipient, and subsequently, someone else’s donor will donate a kidney to you. Our program participates in paired exchanges across the United States, including with the National Kidney Registry. The exchange will help you and your willing donor find other donor-recipient pairs who match your requirements.

What is the recovery time after a living-donor kidney transplant?

As a living-donor kidney transplant recipient, you may be hospitalized for 3 to 4 days, following surgery. After your procedure, you may also be on restricted activity for 6 to 8 weeks. In general, recovery for kidney transplant recipients can be more complex and may require frequent follow-ups to monitor recovery and address potential complications.

Frequently Asked Questions for Kidney Transplant Donors

If I donate a kidney, will I be able to lead a healthy life afterward?

Yes. Kidney donation works because one healthy kidney is perfectly able to perform all the filtering and waste removal functions for the body. Once you recover from surgery, you can lead a long, active and healthy life. You will undergo a thorough and complete medical evaluation to ensure that you meet all the criteria to safely donate a kidney.

Are there risks to donating a kidney?

Any surgical procedure has some risk for complications. For our kidney donor procedures, we use minimally invasive techniques, including single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), which allow for faster, more comfortable recoveries than open surgeries. Minimally invasive procedures can also help reduce scarring.

The risk of developing kidney failure after donation is less than 1% – just slightly higher than the general population. The following conditions may also increase the risk of kidney failure after surgery:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Kidney stones
• Physical trauma

What tests will I need before donating a kidney?

Your Keck Medicine care team will make sure that you’re healthy enough for surgery and have a good support network for your recovery.

Your evaluation will include:

• Blood and urine tests
• Blood pressure monitoring
• Chest X-ray
• CT scan
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Nutritional assessment
• Psychosocial evaluation

You will also talk to an independent living-donor associate, who will act as your health advocate.

After I donate a kidney, how long will it take to recover?

You will be in the hospital for 1 to 2 days. After that, you will recover at home for 3 weeks or up to 1 month.

During the first 3 weeks of recovery, we recommend giving yourself plenty of time to rest and sleep, as well as eating nutritious meals. It’s best to avoid strenuous exercise, but normal activities such as walking or climbing stairs are fine.

After about a month, you should be able to go back to work and do more rigorous exercise. Be sure to ramp up slowly. Your care team can help you as you navigate the recovery process.

What support services does Keck Medicine offer for donors?

We have dedicated coordinators, who are nurses, that will help you before and after surgery. You will also have access to a wide network of clinicians and support services professionals, such as dietitians and social workers.

Eligible donors may also take part in our Donate Well program, which has a whole team available to support you through your donation journey. They offer a wide range of services, such as:

• Guide you through the evaluation process
• Make sure you’re healthy enough for surgery
• Make sure you’re mentally and emotionally ready to donate
• Give you fitness and nutrition advice
• Make sure that donating won’t have a negative financial impact for you
• Make sure you’re not being pressured to donate

Will I be able to donate right away?

Your care team will evaluate and advise when you may be able to donate a kidney. While for some donors the process may be faster, in some cases your care team may decide it’s best to delay donation to ensure that you’re as healthy as possible.

What if my kidney is not a match for the recipient?

If your kidney does not match the recipient, you may still donate through the paired-kidney exchange. The exchange will help you and your willing recipient find other donor-recipient pairs who match your requirements. We participate in paired exchanges across the U.S., including through the National Kidney Registry.

What if I want to donate a kidney but do not have a specific recipient?

If you do not have a specific kidney recipient, you can still donate. As a non-directed or altruistic donor, you may be able to start a kidney chain and potentially help many recipient-donor pairs who otherwise wouldn’t find a match. You will go through the same evaluation process and required tests to determine your eligibility.

What if I am having second thoughts about donation?

You can stop the evaluation process at any time and for any reason. Your information and the reasons for stopping the evaluation will be completely confidential.

I’m ready. How do I donate?

If you would like to become an organ donor, start by filling out the questions on our online form at www.usclivingdonor.org. All of your answers are confidential and will only be accessible to Keck Medicine personnel.

If you wish, you will be able to name a specific recipient, when you fill out the form.

Thank you for considering giving the gift of life.