The rate of success for kidney transplantation in the United States is impressive. Leading kidney transplant centers are consistently reporting over 90 percent success for three-year graft and patient survival rates. These statistics, along with many more, are compiled by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and are often used by patients to choose a transplant center.
Measuring the outcome of kidney transplantation is very complex and continues to be impacted by a multitude of factors.
Patient survival rates measure the length of time that an individual lives following a kidney transplant. Graft survival rates measure the length of time that a transplanted kidney continues to function. UNOS provides both data rates at one-month, one-year, threeyear and 10-year intervals.
Educating Potential Patients – In 2002, three large patient education programs were conducted across the state, in addition to programs at dialysis sites, to educate individuals about kidney transplantation. Shown with their presentation are Shamkant Mulgaonkar, M.D., Chief of Transplantation, and Stuart Geffner, M.D., Director of Surgery, the Saint Barnabas Health Care System (rear); and Luigi Bonomini, M.D., Director of Pancreas Transplantation at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (front).
Rapid advances in the field of transplantation provide the patient transplanted today with a significantly better chance of long-term survival than one transplanted just three years ago. At the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, our short- and long-term patient and graft survival rates are above the national average and compare favorably with any center in the country.
What the statistics do not show is why the graft and patient survival rates vary from center to center. Longand short-term success in kidney transplantation is dependent upon the quality of the surgical and medical care, the age and health of the recipient at the time of transplant, and the condition of the donated organ. More experienced transplant teams offer transplantation to a varied pool of patients, including the elderly. Increasing the donor pool to include expanded criteria donors (see page 2), and aggressive follow-up with the latest immunosuppressive medications also impact survival rates. For further information and statistics, individuals may wish to visit www.unos.org.
While transplantation statistics offer a benchmark, they don’t tell the whole story. In evaluating a transplant center, patients should ask themselves several questions:
- Is my transplant center performing a large volume of transplants?
Centers that perform the most transplants have the best records for overall success.
|
- Who are the specialists on my transplant team?
Adult and pediatric renal transplantation both require experienced teams of diverse specialists who can manage complications immediately.
- Am I comfortable with my transplant team?
Attentive, individualized care is a mark of a quality center.
|
[ top ] [ newsletter index ] |
|
|
