Kidney transplant

In order to begin the process for a kidney transplant, you will need to request a consult to get a referral to our program.

To learn more about the Methodist Transplant Institute Kidney Transplant Program, please call (210) 575-8425 or complete the online kidney transplant patient referral form.

Once we receive a referral for your kidney transplant, we will schedule an initial appointment for you to meet with our team. This typically lasts five to seven hours. We will perform a health evaluation, determine any tests you need to complete before your kidney transplant surgery and discuss the available donor options.

During this appointment, you will meet with our:

• Social worker
• Surgeon
• Dietitian
• Nephrologist
• Financial counselor

To make an appointment for your transplant evaluation, please call (844) 746-3338.

It takes a team effort to complete a kidney transplant. Our doctors understand what an emotional experience the process can be, which is why the members of your transplant team will meet with you one-on-one in a private setting to deliver a personalized experience.

Together, we'll work with your referring physician on a regular basis to keep them informed so that you receive seamless care throughout your transplant journey.

Because the transplant relies on many parts of the body learning to rework together, your transplant team includes a mix of specialists, such as:

• Cardiologists
• Clinical coordinators
• Hepatologists
• Nephrologists
• Pharmacists
• Psychiatrists
• Social workers
• Transplant surgeons

This team works collaboratively during your evaluation, preoperative care, surgery and postoperative care. They also help provide you access to support groups and financial planning resources.

There are several factors to consider when evaluating a kidney donor including age, kidney size and infection exposure as well as blood typing and tissue typing. Donors can be living or deceased and may or may not be related. Our transplant team will undergo numerous tests to ensure your donor is a good match for the best possible outcome.

The surgery is performed with anesthesia so you will not be awake. During the procedure, the surgeon will place the new kidney into your body, attaching its blood vessels to the existing blood vessels in your lower abdomen above your leg. Finally, the new kidney’s ureter, linking the bladder to the kidney, is connected.

You may spend anywhere from a few days to a week in the hospital recovering. Upon discharge from the hospital, your care team will want to closely monitor you every few weeks to see how your body is responding to your new kidney. You will need to take medication for the rest of your life to reduce the risk of rejection and other complications like infection.

The process involves the removal of a kidney from a living donor and placement into a recipient whose kidneys no longer function properly. Blood and urine tests are performed on the donor to determine their candidacy.

The choice to donate is a life-changing for both the donor and recipient. At Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant, we offer a program specifically for prospective donors. Becoming a living kidney donor begins with completing our living donor questionnaire to see if you qualify. The questionnaire is confidential and secure.

The wait time for a deceased donor kidney can often be lengthy - an average of five years. Live donor transplants are the best way to receive a transplant, as wait times can be as little as two to three months.

Facts about living donation

• All medical costs for the living donor are covered by the recipient’s insurance.
• Your donor does not need to be a blood relative.
• Your donor can live a normal, healthy life with just one kidney.
• Donating a kidney does not increase the risk of developing kidney disease. However, a previous donor can be prioritized for future transplant.

Why choose living donor transplant?

• Live donor kidneys are the best option for the intended recipient. They are the best quality kidneys and usually begins working immediately.
• In most cases, live donor kidneys function longer than deceased donor kidneys.
• Minimally invasive donor surgery with an average hospitalization stay of one or two nights and return to work in as soon as two weeks.
• Live donor surgeries are scheduled, which allows both the donor and the recipient time to prepare.

Potential donor checklist

Your donor should be:

• In good mental and physical health
• Free of diabetes
• Within normal blood pressure limits
• An acceptable weight
• Willing to give the gift of life

After donating a kidney, the remaining kidney will grow and maintain the daily function of two kidneys. Your life expectancy does not change and donation does not increase the chance of getting kidney disease.

The Methodist Transplant Institute Kidney Transplant Program is on the campus of Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant, located on Ewing Halsell Road off of Wurzbach. Parking available in front of the hospital and in a nearby parking garage.

The Methodist Transplant Institute Kidney Transplant Program is located behind Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant off of Wurzbach Rd.

In addition to the resources provided at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant, we recommend these resources to learn more about transplant surgery and overall kidney health, including:

• American Society of Transplantation
• Donate Life America
• LifeGift Organ Donation Center
• National Kidney Foundation
• Transplant Living
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)