Fatal and nonfatal hemorrhagic complications of living kidney donation.

Objective: After anecdotal reports of severe hemorrhage from failure of surgical clips to sustain closure of renal artery stumps in live donor nephrectomies were received, this study was designed to identify specific surgical techniques that are associated with an increased risk of failure to control bleeding and might represent opportunities to improve patient safety.

Background: Preventing complications for living kidney donors must be paramount in addressing end-stage renal failure through living kidney donation. Major hemorrhage from technical failure, albeit an infrequent occurrence, can cause significant, yet preventable, morbidity or death.

One hundred consecutive living kidney donors: modern issues and outcomes.

In order to define current issues and outcomes of living kidney donation, 100 consecutive living donors operated on between July 1996 and March 2001 were evaluated. The 64 women and 36 men ranged in age from 19 to 72 yr (mean 42.5 yr), and 65 were related to the recipient while 35 were unrelated donors.