Transplant Center


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The kidney transplant program at Rhode Island Hospital debuted in March 1997. The service was added in response to an urgent need for patients and their families in Rhode Island and southeastern New England for transplant services.

The transplant program provides the full range of vital services close to home by the transplant team. This eliminates trips to Boston or New Haven for doctors' appointments, transplants and follow-up care for patients suffering from end-stage renal disease. 

More about the center:

  • The center is among only five centers in New England that currently offer pediatric kidney transplant and soon expect to provide combined kidney-pancreas transplantations for patients with advanced diabetic disease.
  • In July 2005, transplant center surgeons performed Rhode Island's first laparoscopic kidney transplant, removing a kidney from a 31-year-old woman and transplanting it to a 17-year-old recipient.
  • The transplant team is at the forefront of clinical research with newer, more effective immunosuppressive agents and regimens that improve transplant success, reduce the likelihood of rejection and enhance the quality of life.

  • The team is developing an efficient outreach program that increases long-term survival.

Learn about the New England Organ Bank

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