RenalWEB Home Page
Last Updated 2/21/10
   

PubMed Searches

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

Kidneys From Older Donors Suitable for Seniors - Article from HealthDay. - February 18, 2010
NZ breakthrough in transplant test - Article from New Zealand Herald. - February 18, 2010
New drug for kidney transplant recipients effective in humans - Article from Wiley-Blackwell. - February 17, 2010
New Clinic Offers Access to Shorter Wait List for Kidney Transplantation - News release from UC San Diego. - February 17, 2010
Quark Pharmaceuticals product gets orphan drug designation - Article from the San Jose Business Journal. - February 16, 2010
SENIORS STYMIED IN WAIT FOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS - News release from John's Hopkins University. - February 15, 2010
Scientists discover molecular pathway for organ tissue regeneration and repair - Article from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center . - February 15, 2010
Helping Patients Make the Best Decision about Kidney Transplants - Article from Washington University in St. Louis. - February 12, 2010
Organ donors have a friend in Uncle Sam - Article from The Washington Post. - February 11, 2010
Organ donation - With an average of more than 3.6 transplanted organs per donor in 2009 and more than 430 transplant recipients, Québec sets a new historic record - Article from CNW. - February 10, 2010
Woman receives ‘incompatible’ kidney with ground-breaking operation - Article from the UK Times. - February 5, 2010
Transplants Can Proceed Despite Substance Abuse - Article from Renal & Urology News. - February 3, 2010
Organ Transplant Drug Keeps Immune System in Check - Article from HealthDay. - February 3, 2010
KDIGO clinical practice guideline for the care of kidney transplant recipients: a summary - Free meeting report from Kidney International. - February 1, 2010
Kidney donor study: How do African-Americans access health info online? - Article from the Johns Hopkins University Gazette. - February 1, 2010
Immune cell levels predict skin cancer risk in kidney transplant patients - Article from the American Society of Nephrology. - January 28, 2010
Israel's remarkable new steps to solve its organ shortage - Article by Sally Satel in Slate. Israel's new steps to solve its organ shortage. - January 27, 2010
Magnesium in Chronic Kidney Disease: Challenges and Opportunities - (13-page pdf) Free, full-text, minireview from Blood Purification. - January 26, 2010
Cyclosporine, tacrolimus and sirolimus retain their distinct toxicity profiles despite low doses in the Symphony study - Advanced access abstract from NDT. - January 26, 2010
The Denial of Organ Transplants to Medical Marijuana Patients - News article from the Huffington Post. - January 25, 2010
African-American Organ and Tissue Donors Changing History - Press release. - January 25, 2010
Global organ shortage - Article from Public Radio International. - January 25, 2010
Should it be legal to buy and sell organs? - Blog article from Science Blogs. - January 25, 2010
Rapamune (sirolimus): Drug Monitoring Recommendations - Notice from the FDA MedWatch site. - January 25, 2010
Iran Sets Innovative Example For Organ Donation - Article from National Public Radio. - January 11, 2010
Organ Donation Rarely Discussed in Primary Care - Article from Medpage Today. - January 8, 2010
The Meat Market - Article from The Wall Street Journal. - January 8, 2010
Association of pre-transplant dialysis duration with outcome in kidney transplant recipients: a prevalent cohort study - Abstract from International Urology and Nephrology. - January 7, 2010
Latest transplant news from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Kidney Transplant news stories from Yahoo! News - Continually Updated!
 
Top of Page

  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

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
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
Presumed Consent Foundation web site
Q&A on Living Donation from the NKF web site
Questions About Kidney Transplantation from TransWeb.org web site

Roche Transplantation 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
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Transplantation (DOT) web site
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
 
Top of Page

  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.
 
Top of Page


  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)
Top of Page

  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!
 
Top of Page

  LAPAROSCOPIC NEPHRECTOMY

Live Doner Laparoscopic Nephrectomy For Kidney Transplantation - article from the University of Southern California Kidney Transplant Program.
View a 10-minute movie of an actual laparoscopic left donor nephrectomy from the University of Southern California Kidney Transplant Program. (need Real Video - download player )

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

 
Top of Page

  NON-DIRECTED DONATION AND "SWAPS"

 
Top of Page

  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
 
Top of Page

  UPCOMING EVENTS

Listing of North American Transplant Coordinators Organization (NATCO) Meetings
 
Top of Page

  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
 
Top of Page

  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
Bioartificial kidney under development at the University of Michigan by Dr. David Humes. Here is the news summary from RenalWEB
Beyond Transplants: Growing Organs in the Lab from Popular Mechanics
 
Top of Page

  DISCUSSION FORUM

General Nursing Discussion Forum - RenalWEB Discussion Forum
 
Top of Page

  INPUT / SUGGESTIONS

E-mail to RenalWEB on the Transplantation Topic
 
Top of Page

 

 

Except where noted, no information within the RenalWEB web site can be copied, duplicated, or reproduced in any form without the express written consent of RenalWEB.