Barnes-Jewish Hospital Logo

Evaluation for Kidney Transplant

First Meeting with the Transplant Team

When you come to the Barnes-Jewish / Washington University Transplant Center to begin a patient evaluation, you will meet with a transplant coordinator, nephrologist, surgeon, financial coordinator, dietician and social worker.  It will be an open discussion that is meant to answer the many questions you are likely to have about kidney transplant.  You are encouraged to bring your family to all of your appointments.

Transplant evaluation process

  • Answer questions from patient and family members
  • Complete medical forms
  • Heart and lung function tests
  • X-rays
  • Blood and urine tests
  • Overall physical examination
  • Development of plan to improve your health before surgery
The process of evaluation lasts between one and six months. During this time, you will be working to improve your health in preparation for surgery. This may mean losing weight and if you are a smoker, you may need to stop smoking. At the end of your evaluation, and assuming you have achieved your health improvement goals, you will be ready to be added to the national waiting list.

For additional information or to begin a kidney transplant evaluation, call .

Ambrose Perkins

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Nephrologist, Barnes-Jewish & Washington University Transplant Center
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Overview of kidney transplant services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • April 5, 2008 Good Morning America interview at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with kidney transplant donor Michael Moore and recipient Stephen Gottschalk of Hillsboro, Mo.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Patients are monitored carefully after kidney transplant, to avoid organ rejection. From pills to exercise, hear patients talk about adjusting to life after transplant.
 

Health Library