University of Virginia Health System

Kidney Transplantation

Waiting for an Organ: The Listing Process

The waiting list for transplant organs is managed nationwide by a federally regulated, non-profit service called the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) . UNOS uses a complex set of factors to ensure that availability and distribution of organs is handled fairly and promotes the greatest benefit from a precious medical resource.

When a patient’s name is added to the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, blood type, antigens identified in the blood and other information are entered into a computer registry that is maintained by UNOS. Kidneys are allocated, first, based on the biological match between a donor and a recipient, and then by wait time accumulated on the list.

The Effect of Living Donation on Wait Time

A kidney for transplantation may come from a living or deceased donor. Living donors often come from a patient’s family; sometimes they are found among close friends. One benefit from living donation is in the shorter waiting time to surgery and the ability to schedule surgery to accommodate the needs of the recipient and donor. Because the transplant operation can be handled as an "elective" surgery, plans can be made well in advance.  In addition, a kidney from a living donor will likely function longer than one from a deceased donor.

In the event that a suitable donor cannot be found (because of incompatability in blood type or the presence of antibodies predisposing the recipient to rejection). the University of Virginia can offer several options that may allow kidney transplantation to proceed. By using a protocol designed specifically for each patient's needs we are able to make living donor kidney transplantation a reality for many patients who otherwise would not qualify.

The waiting time for a kidney from a deceased donor is close to 5 years and the transplant surgery must occur within hours of the organ becoming available. Patients must be accessible to the clinical staff during the waiting period in order to ensure that that an offer of a suitable organ can be finalized and a transplant operation completed in the shortest possible time.