Renal transplantation

Guys Hospital, London is the Transplant Centre for Canterbury renal unit. About 30 renal transplants are performed annually. These patients are followed up at Guys Hospital for the initial 3-4 months before returning to Canterbury transplant clinic.

Transplanation is the treatment of choice for most people who are otherwise fit and healthy but before listing a thorough health check is needed and you will need to have a number of tests to make sure you don’t have any serious heart disease. Following this we will make an appointment to discuss matters further with a transplant surgeon from Guy’s at their weekly Canterbury clinic.

There are two types of kidney transplantation, live and cadaveric (kidney removed after death). Because of a shortage of cadaveric kidneys there is often a long wait and so more and more people are exploring the possibility of live donor transplants. Currently these account for more than 50% of the transplants done from Kent and Canterbury. About half of our live donors are other family members but the rest are unrelated, most commonly husbands or wives, but also friends.

If you are interested in having a kidney transplant or have someone who would like to donate a kidney to you then it is important to start talking about this with your kidney specialist well before you need dialysis as the work-up is complex and takes time. If we start preparation early then it may be possible for you to have a transplant before the need for dialysis arises.

If you are interested in learning more about transplantation then you should attend one of the regular talks that are done both at Kent and Canterbury and at Guy’s Hospitals. Contact Suzy Coy for further information.

If you wish to be considered as a kidney donor then you should contact our live donor co-ordinator, Sarah Norris. She will send you information and arrange an appointment to discuss it further.

If you are waiting for a transplant then the most important things you can do for yourself are; watch your weight, regular exercise and if a smoker stop smoking.