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Kidney transplants are the second most common transplant operation in the United States (over 14,000 cases per year - cornea transplants are first). Compared to heart, lung, or liver transplants, it is an easier and less complicated operation.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the private organization that runs the US transplant system under a contract with the federal government.

Despite continuing advances in medicine and technology, the demand for kidneys drastically outstrips the number of donors. In October 2002, there were 53,000 persons on waiting lists for kidney transplants in the US.

There are two types of kidney transplantation: cadaveric and living donor. Cadaver organs are distributed to those on a waiting list based on criteria set forth by UNOS. Live donor transplantation has become increasingly common, due in large part to the success of the procedure and the shortage of cadaveric organs. Living donation allows the immediate transplantation of kidneys into recipients so operations can be scheduled electively once a suitable living donor has been identified. This avoids the long waiting times encountered with cadaveric donation. A new procedure, the laparoscopic nephrectomy, has greatly reduced the trauma and recovery period for a living donor.

Kidney transplant recipients usually must take immunosuppressants, or anti-rejection drugs, for the rest of their lives. Medicare coverage for these medications is currently limited to three years, but federal legislation has been introduced to extend coverage. Immunosuppressant medications run on average between $1,000 - $1,200 monthly.

Warning: Changes should never be made in a patient's treatment or care based solely on the information found here.  All patients have unique healthcare concerns and considerations and these must all be taken into account before any changes can be safely made.  All medical and therapeutic decisions must come from a qualified health care provider.  Read RenalWEB's Legal Disclaimer before proceeding.

  NEWS and LATEST ARTICLES

'Don't Go To China for Organ Transplants' - Article from Free Malaysia Today. - July 12, 2010
Kidney Transplant Dental Dispute Puts Man's Life In Jeopardy - Article from ThePittsburghChannel. - July 9, 2010
Coronary Artery Calcification and Coronary Ischemia in Renal Transplant Recipients - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - July 9, 2010
Renal Function Equations before and after Living Kidney Donation: A Within-Individual Comparison of Performance at Different Levels of Renal Function - CJASN Express abstract. - July 8, 2010
Transplant Donors And Recipients To Compete In National Games - Article from Hartford Courant (CT). - July 7, 2010
Philippines Still Fighting Organ Trafficking in Transplant Tourism - Article from Treatment Abroad. Related articles: - July 7, 2010
Latest Destination For Medical Tourism: The U.S.
Patients Willing To Travel For Cheaper, Better Care; Especially When The Boss Pays
Does Glucose Intolerance Preclude Kidney Donation? - Video blog from Medscape. - July 7, 2010
Economist Magazine Discussion (on Twitter) on Whether Trading Organs Should Be Allowed - Blog entry from Renal Fellow Network. Related article from The Independent (UK). - July 6, 2010
Barriers to Living Kidney Donation Identified by Eligible Candidates with ESRD - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - July 5, 2010
High Frequency of Ulcers, Not Associated with Helicobacter pylori, in the Stomach in the First Year after Kidney Transplantation - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - July 4, 2010
A Psychological Intervention To Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Psychological Distress in Adults Awaiting Kidney Transplantation - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - July 4, 2010
KDOQI US Commentary on the 2009 KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Care of Kidney Transplant Recipients - Article in Press abstract from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. - July 2, 2010
Effect of Donor–Recipient Age Difference on Graft Function and Survival in Live-Donor Kidney Transplantation - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - July 1, 2010
Transplantation: Pediatric Kidney Donation after Cardiac Death - Free, full-text article from Nature Reviews Nephrology. - July 2010
Donor Pretreatment With Dopamine and Graft Function Following Kidney Transplant: A Strategy to Improve Transplant Outcomes? - Free, full-test article from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. - July 2010
Predictors of Mortality in Patients Returning to Dialysis after Allograft Loss - Issue-in-Progress abstract from Blood Purification. - July 2010
Organ Donation: An Opt-Out Policy for New York? - Article from USA Today. - June 30, 2010
Hard-To-Place Kidneys: New Allocation Formula Developed By Johns Hopkins Could Prevent Waste And Transplant Delays - Press release. - June 30, 2010
Regenerative Medicine Investing: A Look into the Future - Article from Wealth Daily. - June 29, 2010
Chain of Transplants Gives 14 Kidney Patients New Life - Article from the Washington Post. - June 29, 2010
The Rise of 'Transplant Tourism' - Article from Irish Health. - June 28, 2010
A One-Two Punch: Embryonic Cell and Adult Pig Islet Transplants Cure Diabetes in Rats — No Immune Suppression Drugs Needed - Press release. - June 28, 2010
The Perspectives of Kidney Transplant Recipients on Medicine Taking: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies - Advance Access abstract from NDT. - June 27, 2010
Increased Hypertension Risk Found in Live Kidney Donors - Article from Renal & Urology News. - June 26, 2010
From Fear To Elation: Prepping To Be An Organ Donor - Article from NPR. - June 21, 2010
Metabolic Syndrome In Living Kidney Donors Worsens Function Of Remaining Kidney - Press release from the e Endocrine Society. - June 20, 2010
Renal Transplantation between HIV-Positive Donors and Recipients - Full-text correspondence from The New England Journal of Medicine. - June 17, 2010
Lawn Billboard Sign for Kidney Gets Overwhelming Response - Report from TheBostonChannel.com. - June 15, 2010
Donors and Recipients Meet: Chain of Kidney Transplants Gives 14 Patients New Life - Article from AOL News. - June 15, 2010
Robotic Kidney Transplantation New Option for Obese Patients - Article from AnaesthesiaUK. - June 15, 2010
Latest transplant news from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Kidney Transplant news stories from Yahoo! News - Continually Updated!
 
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  ANTI-REJECTION DRUG INFORMATION

Cyclosporine ("Sandimmune" or "Neoral") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for cyclosporine and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
Tacrolimus ("Prograf" or FK506) - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for tacrolimus and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
Sirolimus ("Rapamune®") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for sirolimus and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
Azathioprine ("Imuran") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for azathioprine and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
Daclizumab ("Zenapax®") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for daclizumab and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
Corticosteroids ("Prednisone" and many others) - Drug Info from The MedMaster™ Patient Drug Information database. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for corticosteroids and kidney transplant Continually Updated! Search results for prednisone Continually Updated!
Mycophenolate ("CellCept") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for mycophenolate and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
 

  WEB RESOURCES

Latest Scientific Journal Articles on Kidney Transplantation - list compiled by RenalWEB's Journal Watch
Decision: Donation+ - a school program that gives the gift of life
Guidelines for Preventing Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Through Transplantation of Human Tissue and Organs from the CDC - May 20, 1994

The Jewish Kidney & Transplant Support Center - Advice and support for kidney transplant and dialysis patients

KidneyLink - created by maintained by the PKD Foundation
Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Kidney Transplant  web sites from Yahoo!
Latest Issue of Kidney Transplant Today an electronic newsletter produced and distributed by the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)

Kidtrans - list for parents of children who have had a transplant or are in need of one

Medical Complications of Kidney Transplantation (Hardcover) by Claudio Ponticelli (Editor) - January 2008
Medicare Solutions - All you need to know about being an organ donor - powered by HealthPlanOne
National Donor Memorial web site
National Service Framework for Renal Services: Part One - Dialysis and transplantation - Department of Health web site
National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF) web site
The Gift that Heals: Stories of hope, renewal and transformation through organ and tissue donation - book by Reg Green
Organ and Tissue Donors and Transplant Recipients from the NKF web site. Also, transAction! - A council where transplant recipients of all organs come together.
Pediatric Transplantation web site
Pregnancy After Transplant from the Transplant Living web site
Infectious Diseases Guidelines 2: What is new and how to use? video from the American Society of Transplantation - April 5, 2010
Presumed Consent Foundation web site
Q&A on Living Donation from the NKF web site
Questions About Kidney Transplantation from TransWeb.org web site
The Renal Transplant Option from the ESRD Network 5 web site
Top 10 Myths About Donation & Transplantation from TransWeb.org web site
Transplantation: The Other Option power point presentation from the American Nephrology Nurses’ Association
TransplantLiving - the patient's connection to the transplant community from UNOS
2006 Annual Report - The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) web site. The site provides the most current U.S. donation and transplantation data available on the Internet.
2007 Annual Report from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) weekly updated Waiting Lists for transplants.
Update: Investigations of West Nile Virus Infections in Recipients of Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion - from MMWR - September 20, 2002
USTransplant.org web site - The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) web site. Center and OPO Specific Reports
Who is Eligible for Medicare? from the The Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare Information
 
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  ESSENTIALS AND CLASSICS

Transplant Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice - a book by ANA and the International Transplant Nurses Association
Tramplantation Fact Sheet (pdf format requires Adobe Acrobat reader.) from the American Nephrology Nurses’ Association
Chronic Kidney Disease: What Every Nurse Should Know - Module 6: Chronic Kidney Disease - The Post Transplant Patient - from the American Nephrology Nurses Association web site
European Best Practice Guideline for Transplantation Part 1 and European Best Practice Guideline for Transplantation Part 2 - guidelines endorsed by the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA)
Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Kidney Transplantation from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
End-Stage Renal Disease: Choosing a Treatment That's Right for You: Transplantation from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC)
Here is an informative website for those considering kidney transplantation, "A Patient's Guide to Kidney Transplant Surgery" from the University of Southern California Kidney Transplant Program.
HLA Matching from the University of Michigan Medical Center.
 
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  KDIGO™ -  Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Table of Contents
      KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Care of the Kidney Transplant Recipients - (pdf)
KDIGO Guidelines for Care of the Kidney Transplant Recipient - Nephrology guidelines synopsis (2-page pdf) from Nephron Clinical Practice. - May 12, 2010
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  PUBMED SEARCHES

kidney transplant Continually Updated!
organ donor and kidney Continually Updated!
renal transplant and HLA matching Continually Updated!
kidney transplant and complications Continually Updated!
kidney transplant and rejection Continually Updated!
 
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  LAPAROSCOPIC NEPHRECTOMY

Live Doner Laparoscopic Nephrectomy For Kidney Transplantation - article from the University of Southern California Kidney Transplant Program.

Here is a listing of articles on the laparoscopic nephrectomy procedure from the latest scientific journals (PubMed search).

 
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  NON-DIRECTED DONATION AND "SWAPS"

 
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  STATISTICS

U.S. Facts About Kidney Transplantation from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) web site
2008 OPTN/SRTR Annual Report from the USTransplant.org web site
Center and OPO Specific Reports from the USTransplant.org web site
Organ Donation and Transplantation Trends in the United States - from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients web site
 
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  UPCOMING EVENTS

Listing of North American Transplant Coordinators Organization (NATCO) Meetings
 
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  TRANSPLANT CENTERS

US Transplant Centers - from the OPTN web site
Transplant centers with web sites (page down to Transplant Centers) from the National Foundation for Transplants web site
Transplant Statistics: Center-Specific Reports from the USTranplant.org web site
 
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  XENOTRANSPLANTATION, BIOTECH, AND STEM CELL RESEARCH

FDA Guidance for Industry on Xenotransplantation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
These two web sites provide opposing viewpoints on xenotransplantation. Here is the the International Xenotransplantation Association. Here is the web site of the Campaign for Responsible Transplantation, a group that opposes xenotransplantation.
U.S. Public Health Service Guideline on Infectious Disease Issues in Xenotransplantation from the Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) - August 24, 2001
Stem Cells: A Primer - from the National Institutes of Health, September 2002
Stem Cell Research - Full coverage page from Yahoo
Beyond Transplants: Growing Organs in the Lab from Popular Mechanics
 
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  DISCUSSION FORUM

General Nursing Discussion Forum - RenalWEB Discussion Forum
 
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  INPUT / SUGGESTIONS

E-mail to RenalWEB on the Transplantation Topic
 
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