Rhode Island Hospital
Living Donor Transplant Program
Donor Guide
More Than One Potential Donor?
Some potential kidney recipients are fortunate enough to have more
than one family member or friend who comes forward to donate.
All donor candidates must have compatible
blood types to move on to the crossmatch.
To avoid multiple blood drawings for the recipient, all donors should
have the crossmatch completed at the same time. If siblings are
being tested, HLA typing will be performed
along with the crossmatch.
The crossmatch is a scheduled test that is performed on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Rhode Island Hospital. It is helpful
to have two possible dates available when requesting an appointment.
Arrangements can be made for those who live out of state.
It may take up to one week for the results to be reported. Once
the results are reported to the transplant staff, each donor will
be notified. All crossmatch results are confidential. Therefore,
each donor must share his/her results with the potential recipient.
If more than one donor is a match, several factors come
into play to determine who will be the first to continue with the
evaluation process, assuming that all potential donors are healthy.
- The first factor to consider is the donors' HLA typing. There
is a 25% chance a sibling may be a perfect match. If this situation
did occur that person would be the preferred candidate.
- Otherwise, the decision would be made based on each donor's
medical status as well as personal and financial obligations.
- The transplant team asks that each person consider the time
commitment. There will be a detailed medical evaluation, surgery,
a hospital stay, time out of work, time away from family and time
for recuperation.
It is suggested that the final decision be made after careful
consideration. The transplant team is willing to assist with
this process. However, the final decision as to who proceeds first
should come from the recipient and potential donors.
Due to insurance/financial purposes, only one donor at a
time may proceed with the medical clearance. If any for any reason,
a donor cannot donate we will proceed with the next potential donor.
Next step: Appointment with transplant
nurses and nephrologist 
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