Kidneys that are used for deceased donor transplantation are donated by individuals families that have died tragically and suddenly, mainly from car accidents or a brain haemorrhage. These donors have had a severe and irreversible brain injury that they cannot recover from and are determined to be ‘brain dead’ - that is their heart and body is maintained alive but their brain has died. Their bodies are maintained on a breathing machine and their families are asked to give consent for their organs to be used for transplantation.
Unfortunately, at present, the need for kidneys is higher than the number of kidneys available for transplant. Currently, there are in excess of 500 people waiting for a kidney transplant and between 140 and 170 transplants are performed annually.
Deceased donor kidney transplantation has an advantage in that a living donor does not need to undergo a kidney donor operation which has associated discomforts and risks. The disadvantage, however, is that there is a world-wide shortage of kidneys to transplant and people have to wait quite long periods of time for one to become available. Currently, the Irish average waiting time for a deceased donor kidney transplantation is 2 to 3 years.
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