Kidney Transplantation
The Kidney Transplant program at MUSC performed the first kidney transplant in South Carolina over 30 years ago. Since its beginning in 1968, more than 2000 patients have received kidney transplants at MUSC. Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is an integral part of the kidney transplant program. This procedure allows kidney donors to recover faster with less pain, thus alleviating many of the roadblocks that hinder donation. This promising procedure has helped to increase the number of potential donors. The kidney removal surgery is generally 3-4 hours long. The donor is usually discharged within 48 hours and complete recovery usually occurs in 2-3 weeks. The open surgery alternative can require up to 6-8 weeks of recovery time. Kidney transplantation is available to adult and pediatric patients suffering with end-stage renal disease. Organs are procured from either cadaveric or living donors. Following the kidney transplant procedure, the patient is monitored by a multidisciplinary team of specialist. The two non-functional kidneys are left in place. Sometimes dialysis is used post-operatively to assist the new kidney function. The patient is closely monitored, especially in the first three months. Up to 30 percent of patients experience signs of rejection. Medication is carefully adjusted and rejection is usually arrested. The patient is seen by the referring physician for long-term lab work and care. This helps reduce stress on the patient and family while promoting continuity of care. | 
