Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center
(732) 235-8695 (phone)
1-(877) NuKidney (toll-free)
(732) 235-8696 (fax)
Kidney Transplantation
There are several treatment options available for patients suffering from kidney failure, but none offers more promise of a return to normal life than transplantation. A successful kidney transplant, at any age, increases longevity and offers a better quality of life. It is also more cost-effective for patients than chronic dialysis.
The Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, in partnership with UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is a nationally renowned transplant center for adults and children.
It is among the select few programs in the country that perform more than 100 kidney transplants per year. Annual patient and kidney graft survival rates exceed national averages as reported by the United Network for Organ Sharing (www.unos.org).
The center offers an experienced multidisciplinary team of surgeons, nephrologists, nurse coordinators, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, dietitians, and data and financial coordinators, all dedicated to providing comprehensive patient and family care throughout the transplant experience.
Living Donation
Patients can receive a kidney transplant from a deceased or a living donor. Live donors can be a relative, a friend, a co-worker, a spouse, an acquaintance, or someone unknown to the recipient.
There are many advantages to receiving a kidney from a living donor. Living donor kidneys work more efficiently and last longer than kidneys from deceased donors: a kidney transplanted from a deceased donor lasts an average of 12 to 14 years, while a living donor kidney can last up to 30 years. Another advantage is the ability to schedule the surgery before starting dialysis treatments.
Less-invasive surgical techniques for donors and improved anti-rejection medication for recipients allow more people to donate.
The center's surgeons perform minimally-invasive laparoscopic kidney removal, which means less pain and faster recovery for donors. For donors, the average hospital stay is about four days, with many able to return to work within two weeks of surgery.
Living Donor Kidney Exchange Program
Willing donors may be excluded from donating to friends or loved ones because of blood type or cross-match incompatibility. To make the gift of life possible for more people, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the state's other transplant centers, and the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network have formed a statewide living donor kidney exchange program. The program involves the match and exchange of kidneys between like pairs of compatible donors and recipients.
After thorough evaluation and approval by the transplant team, participating donor and recipient pairs are matched for the exchange and the surgeries take place simultaneously. Donors and recipients remain anonymous unless all parties agree to meet after the transplant surgeries have taken place.
CBS News recently featured Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the first inter-state paired kidney transplant performed in New Jersey.
For more information about the program or to register, call (732) 235-8695 or toll-free at 1-877-NuKidney.
Pancreas Transplantation
Diabetics who experience frequent insulin reactions or poor blood sugar control despite good medical management should consider a pancreas transplant. Successful transplantation can avoid insulin reactions and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Those with early signs of kidney damage may also benefit as a way to halt the progression of the disease. Over the past decade, improved rejection medications have helped improve pancreas transplantation outcomes to where they are close to those of kidney transplantation. Today, more people with diabetes are electing to undergo this procedure. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital's pancreas transplant program is the largest in New Jersey.
Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney (SPK) Transplant
When diabetes is the cause of kidney failure, a kidney and pancreas transplant may be considered. Because pancreas transplantation is currently the only treatment for diabetes that establishes consistent, normal blood-sugar levels, many patients choose to replace a failed kidney and receive a new pancreas simultaneously.
Pancreas After Kidney (PAK) Transplant
To prevent damage to the new kidney, many patients seek a new pancreas to halt the progression of their diabetes after their successful kidney transplant.
Research
Because Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is an academic medical center, patients have the unique opportunity to participate in national and international clinical trials to advance the science of transplantation.
(732) 235-8695 (phone)
1-(877) NuKidney (toll-free)
(732) 235-8696 (fax)
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