Barnes-Jewish Hospital Logo

Outcomes: Kidney Transplant

Long-standing expertise is reflected in the kidney transplant survival rates at Barnes-Jewish and Washington University, which continually exceed national averages. Our acute rejection rate following a kidney transplant is less than 5 percent — one of the lowest kidney transplant rejection rate in the world.

Collaborative efforts involving medicine, surgery and support services also have resulted in decreased post-surgical complications and overall length of hospitalization for kidney transplant recipients.

Excellent outcomes are the result of:
  • Selection of the most appropriate transplant candidates
  • World-renowned medical and surgical transplant specialists
  • Expertise in caring for kidney failure and kidney transplant patients
  • Rigorous pursuit of leading-edge therapies and promising new drugs
  • Availability of advanced expertise in nearly every specialty

Number of Kidney Transplants in Adult and Pediatric Patients

View Larger Graph: Number of kidney transplants performed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in a given year

Kidney Transplant Patient Survival

Length Post-Transplant National Barnes-Jewish

1 year - Deceased Donor: Proportion of kidney transplant patients surviving at 1 year post-op

95.4% 98.9%

1 year - Living Donor: Proportion of kidney transplant patients surviving at 1 year post-op

98.5% 99.1%

1 year - Overall: Proportion of kidney transplant patients surviving at 1 year post-op overall

 96.6% 99%

Patient Success Stories

Barnes-Jewish kidney transplant patients and living donors are eager to share their success stories with others. You may find it helpful to read about their experiences, and about how a kidney transplant has changed their life.

Kidney Transplant Quality Reports


For more information on the kidney transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, call .

Kidney Transplant - Gift 2

Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 2 of this three part Patient Story series.

  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 2 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Nephrologist, Barnes-Jewish & Washington University Transplant Center
  • In 2010, Jonathan Sadowski became the first patient at Barnes-Jewish to receive a combined heart/kidney transplant, a new procedure allowing some patients after heart transplant to avoid dialysis.
  • Patients are monitored carefully after kidney transplant, to avoid organ rejection. From pills to exercise, hear patients talk about adjusting to life after transplant.
  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 1 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Overview of kidney transplant services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • Ambrose Perkins was an active father and grandfather. He enjoyed his job as a bus driver, and he especially loved fishing, spending much of his free time with a rod and reel. When hypertension caused his kidneys to fail, Ambrose s doctors told him a transplant was his best bet for a normal life. Because none of his family members were donor candidates, he went on the waiting list for a donor organ. One day, as Ambrose told his boss about his condition, his friend and co-worker, Kim Monroe, overheard and offered to donate her kidney. Ambrose thought she was kidding. But Kim made an appointment to be evaluated as a donor and drove to Barnes-Jewish for an extensive work up. It turned out that Kim s kidney was a close match for Ambrose. On Nov. 15, 2005, Kim underwent a mini-nephrectomy - a minimally invasive donor procedure developed at Barnes-Jewish, and Ambrose received her healthy kidney. Both were out of the hospital within a week. Thanks to the skill of his doctors, the support of the transplant center team, and the generosity of his co-worker, Ambrose is reeling in fish once again.
  • Surgical teams at Barnes-Jewish, Johns Hopkins and Integris Baptist successfully completed the first six-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant.
  • Kidney transplant starts with an evaluation. From there, patients decide between a living and deceased donor transplant. Throughout the process, patients have resources to help make that decision, from fellow patients to physicians.
  • Around 40% of kidney transplants at Barnes-Jewish come from living donors. Find out more about the process through the story of 34 year-old Jamie Schneider.
  • Patients living on dialysis have the option to receive a kidney transplant. Discover the benefits of kidney transplantation and the freedom patients have without living on dialysis.
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire participated in the first UNOS-coordinated match paired organ transplant. Find out more about the concept and how it changed the life of a St. Louis couple.
  • Find out the requirements for kidney transplant and the choices involved for patients. Patients discuss the evaluation process and deciding between a living and deceased donor kidney.
  • After a kidney transplant, nutrition and wellness are so important. The team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and kidney transplant patients discuss how diet and exercise improves life and organ rejection rates.
  • Watch patients describe what it’s like before and after surgery. Learn more about the kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
  • April 5, 2008 Good Morning America interview at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with kidney transplant donor Michael Moore and recipient Stephen Gottschalk of Hillsboro, Mo.
 

Health Library