Information for Patients
Kidney transplantation was introduced as a therapy
for renal (kidney) failure more than 40 years
ago. Since that time, the number of kidney transplants
performed in the United States has increased dramatically.
Currently, about 12,000 kidney transplants are
performed annually across the United States.
Kidney transplantation is now widely recognized
as the most effective treatment for end-stage
renal disease (ESRD), the final stage of kidney
failure. Healthy kidneys rid the body of wastes
by cleansing the blood, but in someone with ESRD,
these wastes accumulate and can cause death. Diabetes
and high blood pressure are the most common causes
of ESRD, although many other diseases can cause
kidney failure.
While the transplant surgery itself and the presurgical
testing and care will be the same whether the
kidney comes from a living or a cadaveric (deceased)
donor, the timing of the two surgeries is somewhat
different. Patients receiving a kidney from a
living donor will have their hospital admission
and surgery scheduled ahead of time, while the
patient receiving a cadaveric kidney will be called
and admitted to the hospital as soon as a kidney
becomes available.
Kidney transplantation is a proven treatment
option for end stage renal failure. At the Penn Transplant Institute patients can expect a greater
than 90% chance that their new kidney will be
functioning well one year after transplant.
Reviewed by Robert
Grossman, MD
Last updated March 2004
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