What is an altruistic kidney donor?

Penn Medicine

It is possible for a healthy individual to donate anonymously to a transplant waiting list (non-directed altruistic donation) or to a specific person on the transplant waiting list (directed donation). Altruistic donation has the potential to begin a series of paired exchange transplants and help multiple patients.

Katrina Bramstedt, PhD
Health Education

In reality the motivation for ALL organ donations should be altruistic-- that is the principle. However, the term is often used to mean "living organ donation to a stranger". Another synonymous term is "Good Samaritan donation".

For more information on Good Samaritan donation, read my book, The Organ Donor Experience: Good Samaritans and the Meaning of Altruism.

Continue Learning about Kidney Donation
