How are a deceased donor and recipient matched?

The following factors are taken into account when forming a match between donor and recipient:
• Blood type

• Tissue type

• Height and weight of transplant candidate

• Size of donated organ

• Time on the waiting list

• The distance between the donor and recipient hospitals

• The recipient transplant hospital’s criteria for accepting organs

These factors are taken into account to get the most longevity out of an organ. Kidneys that share similar tissue typing characteristics tend to function for a longer period of time. Kidneys that are used locally limit the amount of time that the kidney remains outside the body. This also has been associated with better longterm outcomes.

After the match run (data about recipient and donor are entered into the computer), a donor and potential recipient are identified. Before moving ahead a crossmatch is done between the donor and recipient. If the crossmatch is negative (there was no reaction between the donor and recipient’s cells), then the crossmatch can proceed. If the crossmatch is positive (if the cells between the donor and recipient are not compatible), then the transplant cannot take place because of the high probability that the recipient would reject (attack) the donor’s kidney.