Kidney transplants are appropriate for patients with advanced or fatal renal disease. This includes those whose kidney function is below 20% (GFR under 20mL/min/1.73m2), whether they have commenced dialysis treatment or not.
A few common causes that lead to advanced renal disease include:
*You must be referred by a dialysis unit or by a nephrologist.
In order to determine whether you are a candidate for a kidney transplant, several
evaluations are conducted. These allow us to confirm whether a patient is apt for
a kidney transplant.
This evaluation process includes the following steps:
Our Selection Committee is a team of health professionals,
including but not limited to hepatologists, transplant surgeons,
psychiatrists, social workers, coordinators, nutritionists,
pharmacists and financial personnel.
This multidisciplinary contingent is responsible for evaluating
whether a patient is an appropriate candidate for receiving a
kidney transplant. In order to achieve this, each case is analyzed
from a medical and psychosocial perspective, and verified so that
each patient meets the necessary criteria to maximize the probability
of a positive outcome after a transplant. This decision is made with
the utmost care in order to ensure that the benefits of each transplant
are far greater than the potential risks, thus prioritizing the
wellbeing of each patient.
The UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) is the organization in charge of managing the national waitlist for organ transplants in the United States. In the case of patients who are over 12 years of age who require a liver transplant, their position on the national waitlist is determined through the MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score, which can range from 6 to 40. The higher the number, the greater the patient’s priority for receiving an organ transplant. Once the medical evaluation has been completed and a MELD score has been assigned, the patient becomes part of the UNOS waitlist, where they will wait for a compatible organ. Wait times may vary, depending on the availability of an organ and the gravity of each case.
Donating is an act of love that has the power to transform lives. At our Transplant Center, we carry out kidney transplants with live donors. In order to donate, the person interested in donating must receive an orientation and undergo medical and psychological evaluations, with the purpose of ensuring that the potential donor is in good health and that their decision is completely voluntary and has not been the product of coercion.
Once this process is complete, the case is presented to the Live Donor Selection Committee. If the Committee determines that the donor is in optimal physical and mental health, the case is approved and a date is set for the surgery alongside the receiving patient’s team. Throughout this entire process, the Live Donor Program team is by the donor’s side, prioritizing their health, safety and wellbeing.
Learn more about becoming a live donor:
For the majority of patients, hospitalization after a transplant lasts between four and six days. Once they have been discharged, follow-up care continues to be meticulous and includes laboratory tests and frequent visits to the clinic during the first few months. This process is carried out with the personalized care of our multidisciplinary team, whose members caretake each patient’s nutrition, mental health, medication management and general wellbeing.
