Kidney transplants

 

There are two types of kidney transplant:

1. Deceased donor transplants

This is a transplant from a person who has died and donated their organs. There is a national pool of people waiting for this kind of transplant. You need to have a series of blood tests and then wait for a kidney to become available that is a good match. Average waiting times can vary between two and five years.

2. Living donor transplants

This is where someone living chooses to donate a kidney. When possible, this is always the better type of transplant.

The person giving the kidney is known as the donor. The person receiving the kidney is known as the recipient.

If you are considering transplantation, our transplant team will give you information to help you choose the right treatment for you. 

Find out more about the procedure.

World first 3D printing used in life-changing kidney transplant

Surgeons at our hospital have pioneered the world’s first use of 3D printing to support the successful transplantation of an adult kidney into a child.

Surgeons at Guy’s and St Thomas’ have pioneered the world’s first use of #3Dprinting to support the successful transplantation of an adult kidney into a child. #NHS #technology #surgery http://htl.li/XuG8p

Posted by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust on Monday, 25 January 2016

 

Related services

#ToGiveAKidney

We live tweeted from an operating theatre at Guy's while a patient had a kidney removed for donation. 

Find out what happened on our Twitter Storify.

Case studies

Read about some of our patients who have received a new kidney from a living donor.