Kidney

• Clinical Team
• Physician and Nurse Resources
  • Secure (requires login and password)
    • Physician Information Form
    • Renal Transplant Protocol Manual (updated 11/05)
    • Patient Referral Form
    • Combined Transplant Conference schedule (updated 03/08)
  • General
    • Renal transplant and immunogenetics calendar
• Patient Resources — Note: You will need Adobe Reader™ to access the patient manual. If you don't already have this free software, click on the following link to download: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
• Kidney Transplant Patient Brochure
• OHSU Kidney Post-Transplant Patient Manual (updated 08/06)
• VA Kidney Post-Transplant Patient Manual (updated 08/06)
• Un Manual para el Paciente de un Trasplante de Riñón (Spanish-language version of the OHSU Kidney Transplant Patient Manual, published 03/03)

Forget your login or password? E-mail us at kidneytx@ohsu.edu or phone Michelle in Immunogenetics and Transplantation for assistance: 503.494.2881.

Introduction

OHSU's first kidney transplant, more than 45 years ago, marked the beginning of one of the world's oldest transplant programs. That first transplant, in October 1959, involved identical twins and is still a success today. The recipient continues to thrive and is one of the longest-surviving transplant recipients in the world.

OHSU's one-year patient and kidney organ (graft) survival are significantly higher than expected (source: U.S. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, www.ustransplant.org), and three-year survival is excellent.

Transplants involving nonliving donors began in the 1960s and became increasingly successful as new immunosuppressive drugs became available. In 1977, OHSU was among the first transplant centers to receive Medicare certification.

Kidney Information Kit

A free kidney transplant information kit, including video and resource journal, is available from Astellas Pharma US. Call (800) 361-4367 to order.

Team Experience

Our experience is our greatest strength. The physicians and surgeons that care for kidney transplant patients at OHSU have extensive experience in nephrology and urology, the specialties most involved with diseases of the kidney. They are highly adept at providing health care for all types of kidney disease.

Transplant nurse coordinators work closely with patients and other team members beginning with the evaluation phase of transplant care and continuing on after the transplant. Social workers, pharmacists, dietitians and patient service representatives complete the team, providing care through all phases of transplantation.

All OHSU's transplant dietitians are certified specialists in renal nutrition who provide individualized nutrition assessments and education before and after transplants. With these practitioners, the OHSU transplant team provides the most extensive transplant nutrition expertise in the area.

Innovation

For over 45 years, OHSU has been an active contributor to new transplant technologies in areas such as surgical techniques, organ retrieval and preservation, donor and recipient matching, recipient preparation, chronic immunosuppression regimens, and prevention and treatment of complications. Patients have benefited from early access to these technologies and from the culture of quality improvement created by innovation.

Outreach

Many patients who receive transplants at OHSU come from distant communities. Kidney transplant clinics have been established with local nephrologists in key locations in Oregon and Idaho, bringing outpatient care closer to patients' homes. In addition, these clinics provide opportunities for the OHSU team to interact with local clinicians to share new developments in transplantation and improve patient services. Classes also are held for dialysis clinicians and patients considering transplantation as an option.

Updated 04/24/08 by Jean Shepherd, OHSU Transplant Administration. Please send questions, comments or inquiries to transplt@ohsu.edu.