The kidney transplant program at NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s oldest and the largest renal transplantation program. Across our two campuses — Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center, we perform more than 400 deceased-donor and living-donor kidney transplants each year. Our physicians are regarded as pioneers in the field.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we are focused on one goal — improving the quality of life of patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease and advanced renal failure through access to kidney transplantation.
Kidney transplant is considered the best treatment for those with advanced chronic kidney disease. You do not have to be on dialysis to receive a kidney transplant. Patients who are not yet receiving dialysis may still qualify for kidney transplant if their kidney function test — glomerular filtration rate (GFR) — is less than 20 mL per minute. Whenever possible, we make every attempt to facilitate transplantation before you require dialysis – a “pre-emptive” transplant.
Many conditions can cause chronic kidney disease, including:
Congenital kidney disorders — a group of rare conditions that are present at birth and typically passed through families — may also cause renal failure, requiring a transplant during childhood or in early adulthood.
Our transplant team evaluates patients to determine if they meet eligibility requirements and are healthy enough for kidney transplant. In general, patients with severe heart, liver, or lung disease, recent cancer diagnosis or treatment, or a history of not adhering to medical care — regularly missing dialysis sessions or medication noncompliance — may be ineligible for transplant surgery.
Successful kidney transplantation requires a multi-disciplinary team. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we’ve brought together extraordinarily talented physicians, surgeons, nurses, psychologists, dietitians, social workers, and many other staff members to help patients and their families through the process. Some of the key members of your transplant team include:
There are two types of kidney transplants — those from a living donor and those from a deceased donor. Both living donor and deceased donor transplants are better treatments for kidney failure than long-term dialysis.
Compared with long-term dialysis treatments, kidney transplant is the best option to improve your overall health and your quality of life, and provide the greatest opportunity for a longer life. Like all medical and surgical interventions, it is important to understand the benefits and risks involved.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, our kidney transplant team will discuss with you and your family any issues that are specific to your case, review past patient outcomes, potential lifestyle changes you’ll have to make, and life goals you’d like to achieve post-surgery.
As part of the No. 1 hospital in New York, our kidney transplant patients have access to outstanding subspecialists, including cardiologists, urologists, and infectious disease doctors, who are experienced in working with kidney transplant recipients. These specialists are available to consult and assist with the care of kidney transplant patients when needed.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we have two highly successful kidney transplant programs — the Renal and Pancreatic Transplant Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University and the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. These two programs are top ranked in the region for the volume of transplants performed.
In the past 30 years, we’ve performed more than twice as many kidney transplants as any other center in the state. Our kidney transplant programs have excellent patient and organ survival rates — more than 90 percent of patients still alive with a functioning transplant a year after transplant, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. This is significant outcome because of the high volume of transplants we perform on a diverse and often complex patient population.
Renal and Pancreatic Transplant Program
Phone: 212-305-6469
The Pancreas Center
Phone: 212-305-9467
Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programs
Phone: 212-746-3099