Post-mortem kidney transplantation, i.e. the transplantation of a kidney from a deceased donor, is the most common form of organ transplantation in Germany. Post-mortem organ donations are always preferred to living donations. For this reason, patients who are hoping for a living kidney donation are also registered on the Eurotransplant list for the organ of a deceased person.
Kidney transplantation requires permanent, irreversible failure of the patient's own kidneys. In order to inform you about the procedure, chances and risks of a post-mortem kidney transplant, a two-hour information session will be held in our transplant outpatient clinic. In order to determine your suitability for transplantation as early as possible, you will undergo a series of tests with the support of your dialysis centre.
The Interdisciplinary Transplant Commission will then decide whether you should be placed on the waiting list at the Eurotransplant centre.
The average waiting time for a post-mortem organ in Germany is currently around ten years for the normal procedure and around four years for the Eurotransplant Senior Programme. However, if an organ is found that is a perfect match for the recipient, it is given priority and the waiting time can be significantly reduced. This is the case in 10-20% of transplants, which is why, despite the long waiting time, once you are on the waiting list you must be available by phone 24 hours a day. Every three months, a blood sample (called a quarterly serum) is taken at the dialysis centre to check tissue compatibility. Because of the long waiting period, the preliminary tests must be checked and repeated at regular intervals. This is carried out in close cooperation with the dialysis centres.
If you are offered an organ, we will contact you and your nephrologist. You will then need to go to the central emergency room at Regensburg University Hospital as soon as possible. Here you will be thoroughly examined again to check your current state of health. If there are no medical reasons against the operation, it will be performed by the transplant surgeons at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Surgery in an operation lasting two to four hours. You will then usually spend one night in an intensive care unit for post-operative monitoring before being transferred to our nephrology ward for further care. You will usually stay in hospital for two weeks after the transplant.
For the first three months after the transplant, you will be closely monitored in our transplant outpatient clinic. After that, the intervals between check-ups at our centre will be longer and the follow-up will be carried out together with the nephrologists in private practice. We are legally obliged to provide follow-up care for the first three years after transplantation. At our centre, we take follow-up very seriously and it is structured and lifelong.
With a good outcome, the average life expectancy of a transplanted kidney is currently around 14 years. An experienced team of transplant surgeons, nephrologists and specially trained nursing staff are available to our patients in the transplant outpatient clinic and nephrology ward for all health problems that may arise after a kidney transplant.
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