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Choosing a transplant center
If your doctor recommends a kidney transplant, you may be referred to a transplant center. You're also free to select a transplant center on your own or choose a center from your insurance company's list of preferred providers.
When you're considering transplant centers, you may want to:
- Learn about the number and type of transplants the center performs each year.
- Ask about the transplant center's organ donor and recipient survival rates.
- Compare transplant center statistics through the Web database maintained by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
- Consider additional services provided by the transplant center, such as coordinating support groups, assisting with travel arrangements, helping with local housing for your recovery period and offering referrals to other resources.
After you've selected a transplant center, you'll need an evaluation to determine whether you meet the center's eligibility requirements for a kidney transplant.
The team at the transplant center will assess whether you:
- Are healthy enough to have surgery and tolerate lifelong post-transplant medications
- Have any medical conditions that would hinder transplant success
- Are willing and able to take medications as directed
Finding a donor
A kidney donor can be living or deceased, related or unrelated to you. Your health care team will consider factors such as blood and tissue types when evaluating if a living donor will be a good match for you. Family members are often the most likely to be compatible kidney donors. But many people undergo successful transplants with kidneys donated from people who are not related to them.
If a compatible living donor isn't available, your name will be placed on a waiting list for a deceased-donor kidney. Because of the success of kidney transplants in treating kidney failure, the waiting list has grown significantly over the last 20 years. The waiting time for a deceased donor kidney can be a year or more.
Staying healthy
Whether you're waiting for a donated kidney or your transplant surgery is already scheduled, it's important to stay healthy.
- Take your medications as prescribed.
- Follow your diet and exercise guidelines.
- Keep all appointments with your health care team.
- Stay involved in healthy activities, including relaxing and spending time with family and friends.
If you're waiting for a donated kidney, make sure the transplant team knows how to reach you at all times. Keep your packed hospital bag handy, and arrange transportation to the transplant center in advance.
- Kidney transplant. National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozprint.cfm?id=86. Accessed July 12, 2009.
- Punch JD. Organ transplantation. In: Doherty GM, et al. Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment. 12th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2066708. Accessed July 12, 2009.
- Kidney failure: Choosing a treatment that's right for you. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/choosingtreatment/. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- Post TW, et al. Patient survival after renal transplantation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 25, 2009.
- Humar A, et al. Transplantation. In: Brunicardi FC, et al. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=799511. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- Getting a new kidney. American Society of Transplantation. http://www.a-s-t.org/files/pdf/patient_education/english/AST-EdBroNEWKIDNEY-ENG.pdf. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- Coping with the physical side effects of anti-rejection medications. American Society of Transplantation. http://www.healthytransplant.com/index.php?q=quality_of_life/coping_with_the_physical_side_effect_of_anti-rejection_medications. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- Morgan GE, et al. Anesthesia for genitourinary surgery. In Morgan GE. Clinical Anesthesiology. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=893115. Accessed July 12, 2009.
- Shapiro R. Overview of the surgery of deceased donor renal transplantation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- OPTN/SRTR annual report: Adjusted graft survival by year of transplant at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and 10 years, living donor kidney transplants. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. http://www.ustransplant.org/annual_reports/current/509c_ki.htm. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- OPTN/SRTR annual report: Adjusted graft survival by year of transplant at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and 10 years, deceased donor non-ECD kidney transplants. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. http://www.ustransplant.org/annual_reports/current/509a_ki.htm. Accessed July 14, 2009.
