Organ donation is the donation of a human organ from a living or dead person to a living recipient in need of that organ.
The kidney will be removed through an incision over the right or left side of the abdomen (open nephrectomy) or by laparoscopic technique (laparoscopic nephrectomy) under anesthesia.
Laparoscopic technique requires bloating abdomen with carbon dioxide before introducing laparoscope (an instrument that helps to visualize the interior of the abdomen through a very small incision). It is associated with less postoperative pain, faster recovery and early return to work. However, it may require additional abdominal incision to deliver the removed organ or conversion to open technique in case there are unexpected problems during laparoscopic removal of the kidney.Once a patient is pronounced brain dead after evaluation, testing and documentation, consent is obtained from the family for organ donation if there are no contraindications for the same. Organ Procurement Organization is informed and consent is obtained from legal authorities. The organ donor is maintained on ventilator and medications and is stabilized with fluids. Recipients and their treating consultants are informed to get ready for possible organ transplantation. The surgical team harvests multiple organs from the donor in OR. They are then perfused with through special solutions kept under cold storage. Ventilator support is discontinued and donor’s body is handed over to the relatives at the end of surgery.