Deceased donor kidney transplant

This is when you receive a kidney from someone who has died

Key points

This is the most common type of kidney donation
Kidneys from deceased donors are usually higher risk than kidneys from living donors
You will need to go on the national transplant waiting list to receive a kidney from a deceased donor
The transplant list is not a queuing system

Receiving a kidney from a deceased donor

Kidney donations are possible from people who have recently died. This is known as deceased donation.

Deceased kidney donation is the most common type of kidney donation. On average, approximately 70 in 100 kidney transplants are from deceased donors.

To try for a kidney from a deceased donor, you will need to go on the national transplant waiting list.

Going on the national transplant waiting list

Comparison of deceased donor and living donor kidney transplantations

The timeframes in this table are average estimates. Please speak to your kidney care team for more detailed information about how long your transplant might last and possible waiting times.

What's being compared?	Deceased donor kidney transplant	Living donor kidney transplant
Average length of time the kidney will last	15-20 years	20-25 years
Average waiting time for the transplant	2-3 years	3-6 months
Can the transplant be done before dialysis is needed?	Sometimes, but this is less likely due to the waiting time	Sometimes
Transplant surgery times can be planned in advance?	No – surgery often takes place at night	Yes – surgery is usually during the day
Chance of the transplanted kidney working within a day of the surgery	Lower. The kidney has come from someone who has died, so it takes longer for the kidney to ‘wake up’ and start working.	Higher. The kidney has come from someone who is fit and well, so it almost always works straight away.
Risk from the donated kidney	Higher. It is more difficult to thoroughly check the health of the donor, and because the donor is more likely to have had major health issues.	Lower. The health of the donor is easier to thoroughly check before donation. The donor is unlikely to have had major health issues.

Answers to common questions

How do I get a kidney from a deceased donor?

How does the kidney offering system work?

The transplant waiting list is not a queuing system. The first person in the queue is not offered the next available kidney. It is more of a matching system. Many factors are used to decide which patient is most suitable to be offered a donated kidney. This helps to ensure that the patient being offered the kidney is the one that is likely to benefit from it the most.

Learn about the organ offering system

How long is the wait for a kidney?

What are the benefits of a kidney transplant?

What are the risks of a kidney transplant?

Talk about donation

Every year in the UK, thousands of people’s lives are saved or improved thanks to living and deceased donors. But, sadly, there are still lots of patients we can’t treat because we don’t have enough organs to transplant. We particularly need organs donated from people who are Black, Asian, or belong to a minority ethic group.

Talking about donation is crucial to raising awareness.

Talk about donation