Podcast: Kidney Transplant Advocacy and Innovations

“If living donation is done right, as fortunately it usually is, the donors feel that their lives are improved. It is a life-improving and life-promoting activity for the donors, because as all of us know from life, it is often more gratifying to give a gift that is just right, than to receive a gift that is just right.”

–Dr. Danovitch

For patients who are medically suitable to receive a kidney transplant, the current state of science makes it very likely that they can receive a transplant from a living donor. And even if they need to wait to receive a cadaver transplant, once they receive it, their quality of life and the length of their life will be better than if they stay on dialysis. The kidney transplant success rate is marvelously high. However, prior to transplantation, eligible patients face barriers—ranging from financial and compatibility concerns to lack of consistent transplant education or an unhealthy lifestyle—that can cause them to wait up to 10 years to receive a transplant. Some eligible patients may miss receiving a transplant altogether.

Listen to this podcast, in which Drs. Danovitch and Nissenson discuss the role of nephrologists, care teams and dialysis units in addressing these barriers to kidney transplantation, and new information regarding matches that may allow for more transplants.

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