Selection Criteria for Kidney Transplantation

Guest: Carrie A. Schinstock, M.D. (@caschinstock) Host: Darryl S. Chutka (@ChutkaMD) Kidney transplants were initially performed in the early 1950’s; however, most of these early transplants failed due to immune system rejection. Successful transplants were generally limited to those performed in identical twins. With the discovery of immunosuppressant therapy, organ rejection became less of an issue and successful kidney transplants have become more common. Currently, in the U.S. over 20,000 kidney transplants are performed annually. Who is a candidate for a kidney transplant? What is the current success rate and what is the optimal timing for a transplant in patients with end stage renal disease? We’ll discuss these questions in this podcast on kidney transplantation with our guest, Carrie A. Schinstock, M.D., a nephrologist from the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Mayo Clinic. Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.