Kidney Transplantation Services

UC Irvine Medical Center has offered renal transplants to patients with end-stage kidney disease since 1969. We provide a comprehensive range of transplant services, including living-kidney donations. This means that a patient needing a transplant can receive a kidney directly from a relative or friend, rather than having to wait for an organ to become available.

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Important Notice for Patients

Clarence E. Foster, M.D., director of UC Irvine’s kidney and pancreas transplant program, has been called to active duty in Iraq by the United States Army Reserve.

The program will not be accepting any organ offers or performing any kidney transplants until Dr. Foster returns from his deployment in mid-July 2008. However, patients will remain on the UC Irvine waitlist and continue to accrue time on the UNOS waitlist.

For more information »

Living Kidney Donation

Donors no longer need to undergo open surgery because kidneys can be harvested through laparoscopic nephrectomy. This technique results in smaller incisions, fewer days in the hospital and a faster recovery. Live-donor kidney transplants usually result in better outcomes for patients because the organs are typically healthier than those from cadavers. Consequently, recipients usually need fewer immunosuppressive drugs to guard against organ rejection. Donors undergo dozens of tests to determine their overall general health and compatibility with the recipient before they're considered candidates. As a result, only the healthiest people---and the best kidneys---are selected.

Candidates for kidney transplantation include:

• Patients on peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis
• Patients with deteriorating kidney function, but not yet on dialysis

Multidisciplinary Approach

The team is led by a transplant surgeon and includes nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers and physicians specializing in diseases of the kidney. As the only university medical center in Orange County, we have access to a wide range of subspecialists as needed.

Comprehensive Assessment

Candidates for a kidney transplant receive an accelerated new-patient evaluation and pre-appointment consultation with a nurse. The assessment includes X-rays, an electrocardiogram, CT scan and lab tests to evaluate kidney and liver function. Team members also provide continuous pre-transplant monitoring of each candidate.

Patients and their families receive in-depth education on what to expect before, during and after surgery. Patients in the program have 24-hour/7-day access to a clinical transplant coordinator for assistance with questions or concerns. Team members also conduct evaluations of potential live donors including parents, adult children, siblings, spouses, close friends or other relatives. Team members review the entire donation process with each candidate so donors can make an informed decision.