Kidney donors’ risk of death is at an all-time low

The risk of death for people who donate a kidney for transplantation—already small a decade ago—has dropped by more than half since then, a new study shows. Each year, roughly 6,000 Americans volunteer to donate a kidney, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Before undergoing the procedure, donors are informed of the potential risks, including death. Based on data from 1995 through 2009, experts had originally predicted that about three of every 10,000 donors were likely to die within three months of the procedure. The authors of the new study argue that advances in surgical techniques, donor selection, Read More