Kidney Transplant Center

As the only kidney transplant center in the region, the Lutheran Hospital Kidney Transplant Center offers expert, high-quality and personalized treatment for patients with advanced kidney disease. An experienced team of specialists work with patients throughout the transplant process to ensure pre, post and operative needs are met and that patients have the best possible outcomes and the chance to return to a normal, independent lifestyle.

About the Center
As kidney failure becomes eminent, dialysis becomes necessary. Most transplant patients are already undergoing dialysis before being referred to the center. Once dialysis begins, the only hope for a cure is a complete, successful kidney transplant. After a successful transplant, most patients become free of dialysis and return home to lead a freer and healthier life. The center serves all of northeastern Indiana, including South Bend to the west and Marion to the south, Coldwater, Mich., to the north, and Toledo, Ohio, to the east.

Since its creation in June 2007, the Lutheran Hospital Kidney Transplant Center has performed more than 30 successful transplants with kidneys donated from both living and deceased donors. The center's transplant outcomes are available online at ustransplant.org.

The staff at the center guides patients through each step of the transplant process. These steps include:

• Referral from a nephrologist or dialysis center
• Education
• Nephrology assessment
• Diagnostic testing
• Surgical evaluation
• Transplant list and/or surgery
• Postoperative care

The transplant team takes a multidisciplinary approach to the transplant process. During the referral/evaluation phase, all patients are assigned a coordinator who orchestrates all facets of care until the patient receives a new kidney.

Each patient receives a thorough psychosocial exam by the center's social worker prior to acceptance into the program. Social workers offer emotional support and work with candidates to ensure they have adequate insurance and financial coverage. Social workers also assist with applications for assistance from community organization and outside agencies, including the National Kidney Foundation and pharmaceutical companies.

Patients are also evaluated by the transplant dietician who then follows them through the entire process and makes dietary adjustments as needed. The transplant pharmacist educates patients, both pre and post transplant, on the various transplant medications to ensure they understand drug interactions and potential side effects.