The kidney transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital has one of the largest and most experienced kidney transplant teams in the country. Barnes-Jewish Hospital also is home to the largest kidney transplant program in the state of Missouri. Surgeons here perform more than half of all the kidney transplants in the state.
The transplant surgeons at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis have performed kidney transplants for more than 30 years and today perform more than 100 kidney transplants a year. The transplant team has consistently achieved an acute rejection rate of less than 5 percent — one of the best rates of any transplant programs in the country.
Team Approach Means Excellent Results
Part of a nephrology program ranked among the top 10 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report, Barnes-Jewish Hospital's Kidney Transplant Program offers a depth of clinical and research experience and an array of leading-edge resources. Because of our multidisciplinary team approach, outcomes for patients who have had a kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital are among the best in the nation. Combining the efforts of medicine, surgery and outstanding support services, in the last five years alone the kidney transplant team has significantly reduced the length of stay, decreased the number of complications and achieved the lowest organ rejection rate in the world.
Living Donor Transplants Offer Higher Success
About 40 percent of all kidney transplants performed by the Washington University physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital use living donors. Nearly 760 people – among the highest volume in the country – have received the gift of life from a living donor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Living donors include traditional and extended family, as well as individuals related by marriage or adoption.
Advantages of a living-donor transplant include:
- Availability of a donor organ
- Ability to schedule the transplant in advance
- Minimal time needed to preserve the organ
- Lower doses of immunosuppressive drugs required
- Greater chance of the organ functioning immediately after transplant, greatly improving outcomes
The kidney transplant surgeons at Barnes-Jewish Hospital also are at the forefront of improving the surgical procedure for living kidney donation. They were among the first centers in the country to perform laparoscopic, as well as "mini –nephrectomy" kidney donation, in which much smaller incisions are required to remove the kidney from the donor. Using leading-edge techniques, these procedures are much less invasive and significantly decrease recovery time for donors.
Multiple Organ Transplants
The Transplant Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University is able to offer dual-organ transplants, such as liver-kidney or heart-kidney transplants by teaming up with specialists in the other surgery divisions.
Comprehensive Kidney Care
Barnes-Jewish Hospital's kidney transplant program is one of the best because of the integrated team approach and the medical and surgical expertise. The dialysis center is the largest university-affiliated center in the country with nearly 400 patients. Kidney specialists care for patients waiting for transplantation, and those for whom transplantation is not an option. After transplantation, top kidney specialists care for patients.
Upon entering the program, patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation by all members of the kidney transplant team. Each patient is assigned a kidney transplant nurse coordinator to facilitate communication before and after transplant. A full spectrum of kidney care is available around the clock to support patients during every phase of transplant.
Internationally Recognized Research
Patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital benefit from active basic and clinical research laboratories investigating a variety of aspects of kidney transplant and kidney failure. Washington University scientists have become known around the world for their ongoing development and refinement of immunosuppressive therapy to prevent rejection and their strategies to prevent infection. Because of the aggressive immunotherapy research, the Washington University physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital have one of the lowest delayed graft function rates in the world at less than 5 percent (the national average is 30 percent).
Chance for a Better Life
Specialists on the transplant team work together to help patients get their lives back. With transplant surgeons, transplant nephrologists and pre-transplant and post-transplant coordinators, as well as dedicated nurses, social workers, a dietitian, financial specialists and a host of other experts, we offer one of the largest kidney transplant teams in the U.S. And, patient waits for kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital tend to be far less than national averages.
As patients prepare for transplant, the team guides them through each step, answering questions and linking them to other resources as needed.
Another unique feature of Barnes-Jewish Hospital's transplant program is that we follow our patients for the life of their transplant for continuity of care. Our patients also benefit from the support groups and the mentor program we offer.
For more information on the kidney transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, call 314-TOP-DOCS (314-867-3627) or toll-free 866-867-3627.