Our Approach To Kidney Transplantation

U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospital

One of the first kidney transplant programs in the world, the Montefiore Einstein Kidney Transplantation Program is an internationally-recognized leader, providing life-saving care to children and adults with end-stage kidney disease. For more than 60 years, we have been at the forefront of kidney transplantation, having performed one of the world’s first pediatric kidney transplants and established the first dedicated pediatric transplant and dialysis programs in the nation. Our survival rates are among the best in the nation.

One of the elite centers in the nation to perform complex multi-organ kidney transplantation with simultaneous lung, liver or heart failure, we perform kidney transplants on patients who are considered high risk or ineligible elsewhere. We provide expanded criteria for donors with medical complexities, living donor paired kidney exchange, and innovative desensitization programs for patients with high antibody levels and incompatible blood types. We’re ranked in the top 1% of all hospitals in the nation for complex specialty transplant care including pediatric nephrology according to U.S. News & World Report and are an international referral site for the most complex pediatric and adult kidney transplant cases.

Our elite multidisciplinary team includes transplant surgeons fellowship-trained in advanced kidney transplantation techniques, transplant nephrologists, urologists, medical and surgical oncologists, transplant immunologists, transplant anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, geneticists, virologists, critical care specialists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, physical and occupational therapists, and  dedicated transplant coordinators.

Among the Best Kidney Transplant Survival Rates in the Nation

Our kidney transplant survival rates are among the best in the nation with our one-year living donor kidney transplant survival rates exceeding the national benchmark, and we have the shortest wait time for a deceased donor pediatric kidney transplant in New York State. We specialize in multi-organ transplantation with 100% one-year survival of Kidney-Lung transplant recipients and 100% one-year survival of pediatric Kidney-Liver transplant recipients.

How We Minimize Wait Times

The wait time for kidney transplants can be very long, which we strive to minimize by aggressively pursuing all possible living and deceased organ donors including those who are often declined by other centers. In addition we strongly advocate for the living donor option, which is associated with the best survival. For patients without identified live donors, our team can help the patient identify potential living donors in their community through the use of technology developed by Montefiore Einstein or through national organizations like NKR (National Kidney Registry). 

Surgeons in operation.

Advanced Diagnostics and Surgical Techniques

Our world-renowned specialists use advanced diagnostic imaging technology for evaluation of potential living donors and recipients, including ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT), CT angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital subtraction angiography, for preoperative and postoperative evaluation.

We are among the few hospitals in the United States to have an Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN) member transplant histocompatibility laboratory. Our in-house American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) accredited immunology lab provides state-of-the-art histocompatibility, immunology and immunogenetics testing including HLA typing, antibody, and crossmatch testing.

Our transplant experts utilize the most advanced surgical approaches available today, including minimally invasive and robotically-assisted surgery for faster recovery as well as bloodless kidney transplant for those with religious or medical restrictions. Our continued work in the development of newly-emerging techniques and technologies allows us to provide the latest leading-edge surgical techniques.

To ensure successful transplantation, we optimize graft survival with advanced immunosuppressive therapies and novel immune tolerance protocols. In addition, we use specialized monitoring techniques to assess transplant rejection and other complications. These techniques include tissue biopsy, non-invasive and minimally-invasive liquid biopsy, and immunological tests to help optimize immunosuppressive therapy.

A National Leader in Living Organ Transplantation

Our robust living donor program offers a way for individuals to get a lifesaving transplant sooner. Family, friends and anonymous living donors participate in the program, reducing the wait time for transplantation in matched recipients. Live donor transplant success rates have been shown to be superior to deceased donor transplant success rates.

For our patients in need of a kidney or liver transplant, we created the first-of-its-kind revolutionary I Want to Live Digital Tool which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and video to tell their story of why they want to live. This proprietary tool offers a completely novel and unique approach to helping those who need a transplant overcome the hurdle of asking for help and reaching potential donors.

See stories of some of our patients in need of a life-saving liver or kidney

Navigating the Transplant Process

The Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation provides a number of resources to help, educate and support you and your family through the entire transplant process, including a dedicated transplant coordinator to help you navigate each step of your journey before, during and after surgery.

Our Helping Hands Program, a resource network of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, social workers and administrators, helps people navigate and better manage their health and lives as they go through the transplantation process, and complements state-of-the-art medicine with holistic approaches to improve quality of life for patients, families, and caregivers.

Research and Clinical Trials

For more than six decades, our transplant researchers have made substantial global contributions to the field of kidney transplantation. Our physician-scientists have contributed scholarly work in countless textbooks and medical journals, and we receive substantial funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further analyze the genesis of kidney disease with the goal of eliminating the need for transplantation. With NIH funding for more than forty years, the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Einstein pediatric nephrology training program treats children with kidney disease, and our clinical trials include NIH-funded trials to better understand chronic kidney disease and how to prevent it in children.

Granddaughter playing with wooden block and granddad watching

Your Kidney Transplantation Team

Our elite multidisciplinary team of globally recognized experts specialize in kidney transplantation for both children and adults and delivers world-class care to meet the needs of those with end-stage kidney disease.

Meet Your Kidney Transplant Team

A Comprehensive Network of Care

The specialties and services offered vary among Montefiore Einstein Transplantation locations. When making an appointment, please confirm which location offers the specialty that best meets your needs. 

Find Cancer Care Locations

Physician Referrals

Montefiore Einstein embraces a collaborative approach. 
If you have a patient who could benefit from our services, please reach out.

Schedule a Visit

Have a general question or concern? We’re available to help you by phone or by email. 1-877-CURE-KDNY (1-877-287-3536) transplant@montefiore.org