Kidney trasplantation part 41

What are the risks to living kidney donors?

Physical risks

Being a living kidney donor means having major surgery. This always carries a risk of serious complications including death.

Complications that may occur during surgery include:

• punctured lung (pneumothorax)
• Lung infections (pnemonia)
• Nerve damage
• Blood clots (thromboembolism)
• Bowel perforation
• Bleeding

The transplant surgeon will talk to your living kidney donor about these risks in detail.