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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

NYC Hospital Removes Wrong Kidney from Patient - May 10, 2013

Prognosis of Dialysed Patients after Kidney Transplant Failure - Free, full-text, Issue-in-Progress article from Kidney & Blood Pressure Research. - May 6, 2013
"In summary, the patient with a failed graft enters no-man's-land where all of the physicians (transplant nephrologists, transplant surgeons, dialysis nephrologists) should be involved in the management."

Louisiana Woman Fighting for Fifth Kidney Transplant - May 2, 2013

Plasma Cell Neoplasms in US Solid Organ Transplant Recipients - Early View abstract from American Journal of Transplantation. - May 1, 2013

UNOS' 2012 Corporate Annual Report is Now Available Online - April 30, 2013

Eight-Year-Old Ohio Girl Gets Kidney Donation from Teacher - April 29, 2013

Psychological and Emotional Status, and Caregiver Burden in Caregivers of Patients With Peritoneal Dialysis Compared With Caregivers of Patients With Renal Transplantation - Abstract from Transplant Proceedings. - April 2013

Five Found Guilty in Human Organ Trafficking in EU-Led Court - Article from the BBC. - April 29, 2013

Is 3-Compartment Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Useful to Assess Body Composition in Renal Transplant Patients? - Articles in Press Abstract from Journal of Renal Nutrition - April 26, 2013

Almost Half of Americans Would Consider Donating Kidney to Stranger: Poll - Article from HealthDay. - April 25, 2013

The Bioartificial Kidney: Current Status and Future Promise - Online First abstract from Pediatric Nephrology. - April 2013

A History of Chronic Opioid Usage Prior to Kidney Transplantation May Be Associated with Increased Mortality Risk - Advance Online Abstract from Kidney International - April 24, 2013

U.S. Accuses Novartis Of Kickbacks on Anti-Rejection Transplant Drugs - News item from Dow Jones Business News. - April 24, 2013

ISN Reacts to Lab-Grown Kidney Story - Article from the International Society of Nephrology. - April 23, 2013

More Hispanic Organ Donations Needed, Mayo Clinic Transplant Experts Say - Press release. - April 22, 2013

Oral Paricalcitol Reduces the Prevalence of Posttransplant Hyperparathyroidism: Results of an Open Label Randomized Trial - Early View abstract from American Journal of Transplantation. - April 19, 2013

UNOS Presents OPTN Webinar Series on New Living Kidney Donor Requirements - News item from the United Network for Organ Sharing. - April 18, 2013

Multi-listing for a Kidney Transplant - KidneyTalk podcast from Renal Support Network. - April 17, 2013

Let Prisoners Donate Organs: A Kidney for a Kidney - Column by Sally Satel on Slate.com. - April 15, 2013

Kidneys Rebuilt in Lab May Offer Human Transplant Path - Articles from Bloomberg, The New York Times, HealthDay, and Reuters. Press release from Massachusetts General Hospital. Abstract from Nature Medicine. - April 15, 2013

Transmission of Strongyloides stercoralis Through Transplantation of Solid Organs — Pennsylvania, 2012  - April 12, 2013
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
Azathioprine ("Imuran") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for azathioprine 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!
Cyclosporine ("Sandimmune" or "Neoral") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for cyclosporine 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!
Mycophenolate ("CellCept") - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for mycophenolate 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!
Tacrolimus ("Prograf" or FK506) - Drug Info from The Drug Monitor. National Library of Medicine PubMED search results for tacrolimus and kidney transplant Continually Updated!
 

  WEB RESOURCES
Latest Scientific Journal Articles on Kidney Transplantation

Checklist Tools Now Available to Aid Member Compliance with New OPTN Living Donor Policy - January 2013
The Gift that Heals: Stories of hope, renewal and transformation through organ and tissue donation - book by Reg Green
Guidelines for Preventing Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Through Transplantation of Human Tissue and Organs from the CDC - May 20, 1994
Help Hope Live web site
How the Transplant Waiting List Works - Article from the Renal Support Network - April 2011
Infectious Diseases Guidelines 2: What is new and how to use?+ video from the American Society of Transplantation - April 5, 2010

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!
Kidney Transplant Guide - step-by-step information and tools to help you and your family work with your doctor.
Kidney Transplant Q&A from the ESRD Network 5 web site

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
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) weekly updated Waiting Lists for transplants.
OPTN / SRTR Annual Report: Transplant Data 1998-2011 - Annual report from the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
Pediatric Transplantation web site
Pregnancy After Transplant from the Transplant Living web site
Influenza and Transplant Recipients: Ways To Prevent And Treat+ - Conversations in Transplantation from the American Society of Transplantation - November 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
Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients web site
The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) web site. Center and OPO Specific Reports
Top 10 Myths About Donation & Transplantation from TransWeb.org web site
Transplantation and Organ and Tissue Donors and Transplant Recipients from the NKF web site.
TransplantLiving - the patient's connection to the transplant community from UNOS
Update: Investigations of West Nile Virus Infections in Recipients of Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion - from MMWR - September 20, 2002
UNOS' 2012 Corporate Annual Report from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
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
Transplantation Fact Sheet (pdf) 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

Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) web site
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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 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) web site
2011 OPTN / SRTR Annual Report: Transplant Data 1998-2011 - Annual report from the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
Transplant Statistics: Center-Specific Reports from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) 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 Statistics: Center-Specific Reports from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) 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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