First kidney transplantation from a non-heart-beating donor in the Czech Republic.

The long-lasting decline in the number of kidney donors with brain death in recent years is the reason for a quest for new sources of kidney donors in the Czech Republic. One possible source to increase the number of donor kidneys is the program of obtaining kidneys from non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). Based on previous experience abroad, optimum hospital conditions, and, first of all, three years of experimental work, it was possible to realise an NHBD program for the first time in the Czech Republic, in the Transplant Centre of the Plzen Hospital in early 2002.