If you have advanced kidney disease or kidney failure, you may qualify for a kidney transplant. But not everyone with these conditions will be eligible.
Careful kidney transplant evaluation helps make sure that a transplant is expected to be safe for you and likely to succeed in the long term. To see if you are eligible for a kidney transplant, you will need to have certain medical tests and assessments.
The transplant team evaluates every person on a case-by-case basis to see if they qualify for a kidney transplant. These are the main factors the team considers when reviewing kidney transplant eligibility.
You need to be 18 years old or older for a kidney transplant at Banner Health. Children under age 18 should be referred to a pediatric facility.
To be eligible for a kidney transplant, you need to maintain a healthy weight and good nutrition.
If you are overweight, you’re more likely to have a longer hospital stay and you are at higher risk for complications like infections and hernias at the incision site.
A transplant dietitian can help improve your overall health and reduce the risk of complications through diet and nutrition education for long term health.
Kidney transplant candidate evaluation includes reviewing your kidney failure stage and dialysis history. Generally, you need to be diagnosed with end-stage renal disease or chronic kidney disease to qualify.
Testing to determine overall health may be needed based on your age, gender and medical history. Your care team will help you schedule the tests you need, which may include:
Your team may also make sure you’re up to date on screenings such as:
As part of the kidney transplant referral criteria, you may be referred for a psychosocial evaluation to ensure you’re committed to long-term follow-up care and you have plans in place for caregiving.
In most cases, your nephrologist (kidney doctor) or primary care provider will recommend you for kidney transplant consideration. But it’s possible to refer yourself.
Banner Health offers kidney transplants in two locations, Phoenix and Tucson:
The kidney transplant selection committee decides whether you qualify for a kidney transplant. This multidisciplinary team of transplant experts includes doctors, nurses, social workers, financial coordinators, pharmacists, dietitians and others.
They review your testing, health, emotional readiness and insurance status, following both their own protocols and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) regulations.
The team will also make sure you understand costs, insurance coverage and out-of-pocket expenses, both for surgery and going forward.
They may decide that you are:
Not everyone with advanced kidney disease or kidney failure is a candidate for a transplant. You may not qualify if:
You can be re-evaluated to see if you qualify for a transplant after medical changes or lifestyle modifications. For example, you might qualify after you get treatment for health conditions or stop drinking alcohol or smoking.
If you are approved, your name will be added to the UNOS waitlist. If you have a living donor, the team will work with you and your potential donor on next steps towards transplantation.
If you have a living kidney donor, your donor may start their evaluation once you have been approved for transplant.
Get more information about kidney transplants:
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