Q. How does a person get on the wait list for a kidney transplant?
A. Completion of a pre-transplant workup and an evaluation by a transplant nephrologist and transplant surgeon will help to determine whether or not a person is a candidate for transplant.
Q. What is the age limit for a kidney transplant?
A. Generally, a kidney transplant is recommended for individuals under the age of 65. However, there may be some exceptions. Please talk with a transplant coordinator for more details.
Q. What are the differences between the various types of transplants?
A. There are three types of transplants: Living Donor (blood related) - potential donors include a brother, sister, parent, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew. Living Donor (non-blood related) - potential donors include a spouse, significant other, cousin, in-law or friend. Cadaver Donor - donor is a person who has been in an accident or has had a stroke and has been declared "brain dead."
Q. What is the preferred method of transplantation and why?
A. Living donor transplant is recommended first and is the preferred method of transplant. The benefits of a living donor transplant include: less immunosuppression for the recipient after the transplant life of the transplanted kidney is longer kidney starts functioning immediately. The living donor transplant is scheduled at a time convenient for both the recipient and donor, which makes the recipient's wait time shorter.
Q. What if someone wants to give me a kidney?
A. When you have a family member, spouse or significant other who wants to donate one of his/her kidneys to you, contact the transplant coordinator. A donor orientation class, which includes detailed information about donation, is available through the St. John Transplant Specialty Center. All donors are thoroughly screened before kidney donation. To be accepted as a living kidney donor, a completed donor evaluation must show that a donor is healthy and has two normal kidneys. Donors should be under the age of 65 and have no history of diabetes, cancer or high blood pressure. If a donor is unsure about donating, he/she may call the transplant coordinator to discuss any questions or concerns.
Q. Does insurance cover the cost of a kidney transplant?
A. Insurance/financial counseling is part of the transplant evaluation at St. John Transplant Specialty Center. Our transplant coordinators will begin insurance/financial counseling at the time of your referral. In the meantime, you can call your insurance provider to determine your coverage.
Q. Who covers the costs associated with a cadaveric donor?
A. Costs are covered by the recipient's insurance (i.e., the person who receives the organ).
