Living Donor Transplantation:
- Directed donation: The donor chooses a specific recipient, usually a family member or friend.
- Paired donation: Two incompatible donor-recipient pairs exchange kidneys, allowing each recipient to receive a compatible organ.
- Altruistic donation: The donor donates their kidney to a stranger on the waiting list.
Deceased Donor Transplantation:
- The kidney comes from a person who has recently died.
- The donor’s organs are typically recovered after brain death or cardiac arrest.
- This is the most common type of kidney transplantation.
Also see: About Kidney Transplants (A Visual)