Am I Eligible for a Kidney Transplant?

If you are suffering from end-stage renal disease and are interested in being considered for a kidney transplant, you've come to the right place.

Nebraska Medicine is recognized as a national leader in the treatment of kidney disease, including kidney transplantation. Our process begins with a thorough evaluation to determine if a patient is a good candidate for a kidney transplant.

If you have an advanced kidney disease and are on the waiting list for a new organ, we strongly encourage you to ask your friends, family and loved ones to be tested to become a living donor. Start the process either by learning more about living donors, or press the button below to fill out the living donor form. 

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Indications for Transplant

At Nebraska Medicine, we start with the following guidelines to help determine if a patient is a candidate for transplantation. This criteria explains the reasons for inclusion in, or exclusion from, kidney transplantation.

Inclusion

In order to be eligible to receive a kidney transplant:

  • You must have chronic irreversible kidney disease that has not responded to other medical or surgical treatments. You are either on dialysis or may require dialysis in the near future.
  • You must qualify for and be able to tolerate major surgery.
  • You and your family members/support system must be able to understand the risks and benefits of transplantation, including the long-term need for close medical follow-up and lifelong need for anti-rejection therapy.
  • You and your family must be able to accept the responsibilities, including financial, that are part of the long-term care you will need after transplantation.
  • Nebraska Medicine requires all transplant recipients to have a care partner. A care partner is a spouse, child, or close friend who helps the recipient take care of their kidney. This person helps the transplant recipient with their medications, drives them to appointments, can be a first line of contact and call a doctor for the recipient. Our goal is to have the recipient not handle post-transplant care all by themselves. Expectations of care partners will be explained during transplant recipient evaluation.

Exclusion

You may not be eligible to receive a kidney transplant due to:

  • The presence of some other life-threatening disease or condition that would not improve with transplantation. This could include certain cancers, infections that cannot be treated or cured, or severe, uncorrectable heart disease.
  • A history of chronic noncompliance including, but not limited to, medical treatments, medications or other behaviors that would affect your ability to fully care for yourself after transplantation.
  • A history of chronic and ongoing drug and/or alcohol abuse that cannot be successfully treated before transplantation, putting you at risk for continued harmful behavior after transplantation.
  • A history of serious psychiatric disorders that cannot be successfully treated before transplantation, and that would be considered a high risk for ongoing or increased severity of the psychiatric disorder after transplantation.