The Kidney Transplant Center at
Southwest Florida Regional
Medical Center serves ESRD (end-stage renal disease) patients
desiring kidney transplantation as a treatment option. We have performed
over 450 transplants since the inception of the program in
1990. Since 2002 we have had the
shortest wait time
for a deceased donor kidney transplant in the United States. We
have a very high inpatient nurse-to-patient ratio and our physician and
clinical transplant coordinator staff have decades of experience
treating kidney transplant patients. Our patients are referred on
the West Coast of Florida from Bradenton to the Keys, and East through
the center of the state to Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches.
We will consider referrals for patients who are currently on other
waiting lists in the United States, Canada, and other foreign countries.
Our one year and five year graft survival rates are 100% and 84%,
respectively; compared to 89% and 75%, nationally. Our one-year and
five-year patient survival rates are 100% and 85%, respectively.
Nationally, these percentages are 96% and 85%, respectively.
Interestingly, though our success rates easily match the national
averages our center transplants a much higher percentage of the older
ESRD population than other centers across the country i.e. 31% of our
transplanted patients are 61 or older and nearly 8% are 71 or older.
Nationally, the percentage of kidney transplant patients 61 and older is
less than 8%.
Our
Dialysis Unit provides conventional hemodialysis treatment for
inpatients in acute and chronic renal failure.
Frequently
Asked Questions
How can I be considered as a candidate for transplantation?
Patients interested in transplantation as a treatment option may ask
their nephrologist to refer them to the Transplant Center for
evaluation. Once the referral is received, the Transplant Center staff
will request medical records before an appointment is scheduled. When an
appointment is set, the patient will be sent an educational packet and
will be called by a coordinator to answer any initial questions.
| How do
you decide if I'm a candidate? |
|
An educational session will be the initial appointment, patients and
their families will be shown videos and have an opportunity to ask
questions about all phases of transplantation. Following this, an
appointment will be scheduled with the transplant nephrologist who will
examine the patient and review their medical history. After the
nephrologist reviews the patient's physical exam and medical records an
individual evaluation plan to suit each patient's medical status will be
"tailor-made". Several consultations and diagnostic tests are
a part of every evaluation. These include but are not limited to:
evaluation by the transplant surgeon and urologist; psychosocial
evaluation, laboratory tests, chest x-ray, EKG, dental screening and
cardiac testing for diabetics and patients over age 40.
How long do patients wait for a transplant?
Patients who complete the evaluation process and choose to pursue
transplantation as a treatment option can be transplanted most quickly
if they have a suitable live donor. These donors may be relatives or
close friends and statistics show that transplants from these living
donors perform better than those from cadaveric donors. For those who
absolutely do not have a potential live donor the patients are placed on
the national computer waiting list. When a suitable kidney becomes
available, the transplant is performed at Southwest Florida Regional
Medical Center. The transplant team will also follow patients through
the transplant hospitalization and provide intensive outpatient
follow-up after the transplant. All through the process, patient and
their families are able to reach the transplant team 24 hours a day for
answers to any questions or concerns.
For further information please
call
239-939-8442 or 1-800-874-7142
