Kidney Transplant Program

Why choose Mass General Brigham for kidney transplant care?

High-volume center and best results

Our surgeons perform more kidney transplants every year than other New England hospitals, and achieve some of the best graft and survival rates nationwide.

Experience and innovation

Mass General Brigham is home to one of the largest transplant research centers in the world, with cutting-edge technology and approaches such as protocols that enable transplant recipients to thrive without antirejection drugs.

Following kidney transplant, patients typically require lifelong immunosuppressive medications to prevent their immune systems from attacking the new organ. However, our groundbreaking research is allowing some patients to live drug-free after transplant.

Robotic surgery

Mass General Brigham has one the fastest growing robotic surgery programs in New England, allowing quicker recovery of our patients following surgery among other benefits.

Individualized care

With a dedicated team of more than 100 providers, we provide individualized care for patients with complex medical and surgical conditions including obesity, cancer, and high sensitization.

Expediting listing process

An accelerated process with minimal testing allows patients to accumulate time on the waitlist quicker than other centers.

Living Donor Program

Our living donor kidney team at Mass General Brigham performs more living donor kidney transplants than any other center in New England. We offer a variety of resources to support patients pursuing living donation, including monthly coaching sessions on how to find a living donor, ways to prevent financial burden, and a robust paired-kidney exchange program for incompatible living donor pairs.

Xenotransplantation

Our physician-scientists at Mass General Brigham have over 30 years of experience pioneering xenotransplantation. We are harnessing cutting-edge science to enhance the compatibility of pig kidneys with the human body, making pig-to-human transplants safer than ever. This innovative approach offers renewed hope to those awaiting life-saving kidney transplants.

For current and prospective patients interested in more information about xenotransplantation at Mass General Brigham, please visit www.mghxenotransplant.org.

Frequently asked questions

How do I schedule an appointment?

To begin the kidney transplant process, your primary care physician or nephrologist can submit a referral for you, or you can request an appointment directly. Once received, a kidney transplant nurse coordinator and transplant nephrologist will review your records and schedule your evaluation at either our Boston location or one of our community locations.

What I can expect during the kidney transplant evaluation process?

During the initial evaluation, patients will:

• Review a kidney transplant education video
• Undergo blood testing
• Meet in-person with their nurse coordinator, nephrologist, social worker, and patient navigator
• Set up an appointment to meet virtually with the dietitian and financial coordinator

If you are also a candidate for pancreas transplantation, you will be evaluated for both transplants at the same time.

As often as possible, our team aims to complete an evaluation for early kidney transplant within two weeks of receiving a referral or appointment request. Early transplant allows for patients to accrue time on the national waitlist as soon as possible and avoid dialysis.

After the initial visit, you will return for additional testing, which may include, cardiac stress testing, chest X-ray and electrocardiogram (EKG), additional blood and urine tests, and abdominal imaging. Patients may be asked to schedule tests with their primary care physician and/or other specialists, such as a colonoscopy (age 45+), mammogram (age 40+), or pap smear. Alternatively, if these tests have been performed within the past year, patients can simply provide the recent results.

Once all testing is complete, the Mass General Brigham transplant team will determine the patient’s readiness for a kidney transplant and outline the next steps.

What happens once I have been accepted for kidney transplant?

Once you are determined to be ready for kidney transplant surgery, your care team will review with you your options for receiving a donor organ – living donation and deceased donation.

What is living donor kidney transplant?

The best option to receive a new kidney is from a living kidney donor, as living donation does not require you to spend time on the organ waitlist, reduces your need for dialysis, and more. Living donors are often someone in the patient’s life who is willing to donate their kidney to them.

What is the deceased kidney donor waitlist?

Patients without a living donor are placed on the national deceased donor waitlist. Because there are many more people in need of a kidney transplant than there are kidneys available, patients may wait on the list for few years. As time progresses, patients move to the top of the list and receive a kidney.

When a deceased donor organ becomes available, you will receive a call from our coordinator or surgeon, asking you to come into the hospital for the transplant. Since this call can come at any time, you should provide our center with all of your phone numbers, as well as the phone numbers of a few emergency contacts, so that we can contact you when needed.