MUST LIVING RENAL DONORS BE HOSPITALIZED OVERNIGHT PRIOR TO SURGERY

To determine whether preoperative intravenous hydration was an importa nt determinant of perioperative safety for the kidney donor or of earl y allograft function, 21 consecutive living donor transplants were ass essed retrospectively. Donors hospitalized overnight received 1008+/-1 69 mL of intravenous fluid during the 8 h prior to operation, compared to no preoperative hydration among a cohort of 15 patients. No differ ences between intraoperative blood pressures, fluid administration, ur ine output, or time in the operating room were identified between grou ps. Postoperative allograft function was not compromised by the lack o f hydration. We conclude that living kidney donors can safely undergo elective nephrectomy without prior intravenous hydration.