Kidney Transplant is a method for treating advanced chronic kidney disease. Statistically, the life expectancy and quality of life is better for patients who undergo kidney transplantation than long-term dialysis.
Patients are evaluated at a special transplant center to determine if they are candidates. This consists of:
- Cardiac work-up to ensure that they would be able to have surgery.
- Evaluation to find any pre-malignant conditions or possible sources of infection.
If the patient passes these steps, and is interested, then they are placed on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. The waiting list in the Chicago area is approximately 5 years for a deceased donor. However, many patients are not candidates or will need dialysis in the interim while they are waiting for a kidney. Patients can also receive a kidney from a live donor which can be a family member or an unrelated individual. In these cases, it may be possible to schedule transplantation prior to the patients needing the initiation of dialysis.
NorthShore nephrologists currently refer patients to all 5 participating transplantation centers in the Chicago area as well as to the centers in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.