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Risks of Kidney Donation

The risks of kidney transplant are similar to any major surgery.

Risk   What it Means for You 
 Death from surgery  Less than 1 percent (1 in 3,000). This is the same with any major surgery
 Surgical problems Risks of living donation include bleeding, infection, wound hernia, adhesive obstruction and blood clots.  These are similar to any other major surgery but at a much lower frequency.

Other facts to consider:
  • There are no known long term survival risks for living donors.
  • Donors have similar survival to non-donors.
  • Kidney donation does not increase the risk of kidney failure in donors.
  • Most donors had better quality of life than population norms.
For additional information or to begin a kidney transplant evaluation, call 314-TOP-DOCS (314-867-3627) or toll free 866-867-3627.

Heart/Kidney Transplant

In 2010, Jonathan Sadowski became the first patient at Barnes-Jewish to recieve a combined heart/kidney transplant, a new procedure allowing some patients after heart transplant to avoid dialysis.

  • In 2010, Jonathan Sadowski became the first patient at Barnes-Jewish to recieve a combined heart/kidney transplant, a new procedure allowing some patients after heart transplant to avoid dialysis.
  • Nephrologist, Barnes-Jewish & Washington University Transplant Center
  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 2 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Around 40% of kidney transplants at Barnes-Jewish come from living donors. Find out more about the process through the story of 34 year-old Jamie Schneider.
  • Patients living on dialysis have the option to receive a kidney transplant. Discover the benefits of kidney transplantation and the freedom patients have without living on dialysis.
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire participated in the first UNOS-coordinated match paired organ transplant. Find out more about the concept and how it changed the life of a St. Louis couple.
  • Watch patients describe what it’s like before and after surgery. Learn more about the kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
  • Find out the requirements for kidney transplant and the choices involved for patients. Patients discuss the evaluation process and deciding between a living and deceased donor kidney.
  • After a kidney transplant, nutrition and wellness are so important. The team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and kidney transplant patients discuss how diet and exercise improves life and organ rejection rates.
  • Kidney transplant starts with an evaluation. From there, patients decide between a living and deceased donor transplant. Throughout the process, patients have resources to help make that decision, from fellow patients to physicians.
  • Surgical teams at Barnes-Jewish, Johns Hopkins and Integris Baptist successfully completed the first six-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant.
  • April 5, 2008 Good Morning America interview at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with kidney transplant donor Michael Moore and recipient Stephen Gottschalk of Hillsboro, Mo.
  • Ambrose Perkins was an active father and grandfather. He enjoyed his job as a bus driver, and he especially loved fishing, spending much of his free time with a rod and reel. When hypertension caused his kidneys to fail, Ambrose s doctors told him a transplant was his best bet for a normal life. Because none of his family members were donor candidates, he went on the waiting list for a donor organ. One day, as Ambrose told his boss about his condition, his friend and co-worker, Kim Monroe, overheard and offered to donate her kidney. Ambrose thought she was kidding. But Kim made an appointment to be evaluated as a donor and drove to Barnes-Jewish for an extensive work up. It turned out that Kim s kidney was a close match for Ambrose. On Nov. 15, 2005, Kim underwent a mini-nephrectomy - a minimally invasive donor procedure developed at Barnes-Jewish, and Ambrose received her healthy kidney. Both were out of the hospital within a week. Thanks to the skill of his doctors, the support of the transplant center team, and the generosity of his co-worker, Ambrose is reeling in fish once again.
  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 1 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Overview of kidney transplant services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • Patients are monitored carefully after kidney transplant, to avoid organ rejection. From pills to exercise, hear patients talk about adjusting to life after transplant.