title: Living donor kidney transplantation in a Veterans Administration medical center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A shortage of organ donors remains the major limiting factor in kidney transplantation. Living donor renal transplantation, especially living-unrelated donors, may expand the donor pool by providing another source of excellent grafts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1983 and 2003, 109 living donor kidney transplants were performed. Potential donors were assessed with a standardized routine. Antithymocyte serum (N-ATS) and Basiliximab were used as induction agents. Sandimmune, Gengraf, Neoral, and Prograf were the main immunosuppressants with Immuran, Mycophenolate Mofetil, and steroids. Eighty-two percent of the recipients were from out of state.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-eight percent of the living donors were from living-related donors and 22% were from living-unrelated donors. One- and three-year patient survival rates were 97.6% and 93.2% with 1- and 3-year graft survival rates of 93.2% and 88.3%, respectively. There were 6 delayed graft functions (5.5%), 16 acute cellular rejections (10%), and 10 chronic rejections (9%). Twelve patients died, 7 of them with a functioning graft. In the past 6 years (1997-2003), the number of living donor kidney transplants surpassed deceased donor kidney transplants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of the limited number of cadaveric kidneys available for transplant, living donors represent a valuable source, and the use of living-unrelated donors has produced an additional supply of organs. In our program, the proportion of living donors used for kidney transplant is comparable with other non-Veterans Administration programs and the survival of these allografts appears to be superior to deceased donor kidney transplants.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Administration Medical Center, 1310 26th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212, USA. tarik.kizilisik@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: A Tarik
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Kizilisik
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Nylander
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Langone
authors.forename: J Harold
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Helderman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome