Living donor kidney transplantation.

ABSTRACT

While the majority of kidney transplantations in Finland have been traditionally performed from deceased donors, the frequency of living donors should be increased. Kidney donation is a safe procedure for a carefully examined donor, and for the recipient living donation enables elective surgery and preemptive transplantation. Potential risks for the donor must be minimized, but according to current recommendations, mild hypertension or obesity are not absolute contraindications for donation. Guidelines for donor selection and examination have been updated to simplify the process for all parties. Legislation in Finland requires changes to optimize the use of all potential living donors.