Kidney Transplant Care

Kidney Transplant Care at UVM Health

A kidney transplant is a surgery that gives patients with advanced kidney (renal) failure a healthy kidney from another person. Transplant is the preferred treatment option for most people who are on dialysis or are approaching dialysis.

University of Vermont Health no longer performs kidney transplant surgery, but continues to provide the possibility of transplant surgery, listing for transplantation and pre-transplant evaluation and care in cooperation with Dartmouth Hitchcock Transplant Center. We will continue to provide long term post-transplant care for all patients with kidney and pancreas transplants.

Why Choose UVM Health?

We offer:

A multidisciplinary team: Our transplant nephrology team come from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds, and include transplant nephrologists, social worker, pharmacist, transplant coordinator and dietitian. All potential transplant recipients are assigned a transplant coordinator, who will be a resource for you throughout the evaluation, surgery and post-operative processes.
Ongoing support: Receiving a kidney transplant will require treatment for the rest of your life, or the lifespan of your new kidney. Our support team is available to you long after your surgery as you adjust to your new post-transplant lifestyle.

Pre-Transplant Services

In cooperation with Dartmouth Hitchcock Transplant Center, we work closely with your transplant coordinator throughout the entire transplant process:

Pre-transplant evaluation: Patients seeking transplant surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Transplant Center undergo evaluations involving both the Dartmouth Hitchcock transplant surgeon and the UVM Medical Center Transplant Nephrology team.
Waiting list management: Patients on Dartmouth Hitchcock’s transplant list are re-evaluated every 6-12 months to ensure they remain eligible and healthy enough for transplant. Some may remain on the list for an average of 4-5 years.
Selection committee participation: The UVM Medical Center Transplant Nephrology team actively participates in the joint UVM Medical Center-Dartmouth Hitchcock transplant selection committee.

Post-Transplant Services

Transplant surgery can affect you physically, socially, financially and emotionally. Receiving a kidney transplant requires lifetime follow-up medical care, including taking immunosuppressant medications every day and making lifestyle changes. Our Transplant Nephrology team will support you as you resume your daily activities, so you can sustain the benefits of your transplant for the rest of your life.

Outpatient Care

Patients receiving transplant surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Transplant Center: After receiving a kidney transplant at Dartmouth Hitchcock, patients remain inpatient for a few days. They then transition to outpatient care with the Dartmouth Hitchcock Transplant Surgery team for 4–12 weeks for post-surgical recovery. Once surgically stable and cleared by the transplant surgeon, ongoing care transitions to the Transplant Nephrology team at UVM Medical Center in close cooperation and communication with Dartmouth. Patients will continue to be followed there for as long as the transplant remains functional.
Patients receiving transplant surgery elsewhere: Patients who receive transplants at other centers but live in our region can still receive post-transplant care from the Transplant Nephrology team UVM Medical Center.
Long-term transplant care: We provide ongoing inpatient and outpatient care for more than 400 kidney and pancreas transplant recipients from Vermont and northern New York.

Inpatient Care

Any patient with a kidney, pancreas or other organ transplant — whether newly transplanted or long-term — will be seen and managed by the Transplant Nephrology team at UVM Medical Center. This includes patients on immunosuppressive therapy and those experiencing short- or long-term complications after transplant.