Directory of Services
Transplantation Services
SCOPE OF SERVICE
Expanded surgical techniques, improved anti-rejection protocols and high-quality patient care characterize the Saad Specialist Hospital Program and are critical in its current success in kidney transplantation.
Candidates for kidney transplantation are individuals with chronic renal failure related to:
- Diabetes.
- Hypertension.
- Glomerulonephritis.
- Polycystic kidneys.
- Other kidney diseases.
Patients have access to a range of comprehensive services including:
Living Donor Transplant
Live donor transplantation has become increasingly common, due to the success of the procedure and the shortage of cadaveric organs. Living donation allows the immediate transplantation of kidneys into recipients; operations can be scheduled electively once a suitable donor has been identified. This avoids the extended waiting periods encountered with cadaveric donation. The Saad Specialist Hospital program now offers a new minimally invasive approach to living donor nephrectomy.
Laparoscopic Kidney Removal
One of the latest and most advanced procedures offered by Saad Specialist Hospital’s Kidney Transplant Program is laparoscopic kidney removal from living donors. In this minimally invasive approach, video equipment and instruments are inserted through 1cm punctures to visualize, dissect, clip, and staple. Once the kidney is freed from its attachments, it is extracted from the abdomen through a 7cm infra-umbilical incision and cooled. It is then prepared for immediate implantation into the recipient, following the donor surgery. This minimally invasive procedure results in less pain, a reduction in hospitalization from five days to one or two days, and a return to normal activity within a week for the donor.
Full Service Dialysis Center
The Dialysis Center is a new facility featuring the most modern state-of-the-art dialysis equipment. Highly skilled Western trained dialysis nursing staff care for the needs of all chronic dialysis patients.
Dialysis Access Management
Physicians, nurse specialists, and ancillary personnel have the capability to establish reliable dialysis access, including fistulas, grafts and peritoneal catheters. In addition, the surgical and interventional radiological skills exist to solve and manage difficult access problems, including clotted access, graft revision and catheter infections.
Follow-Up Care
The physicians at Saad Specialist Hospital are practiced in the use of the latest immunosuppressive drugs, including a new class of specific antibodies to some of the cellular receptors responsible for rejection. These drugs have reduced the frequency of rejection episodes by approximately 40 %.
Family Involvement
Kidney transplantation is a family affair, especially if the recipient is receiving a kidney donation from a living relative. For this reason family members are intimately involved in the care process, including decision-making and follow-up lifestyle changes. Saad Specialist Hospital transplant coordinators assist kidney patients and their families in learning about what is taking place every step of the way. They are available 24 hours a day to answer and assist with emergency questions. The coordinators also serve as a liaison between the patient, referring physicians, and the kidney transplant team.
Patient Education
The complexity of kidney transplantation requires intensive education for patients, living donors (if applicable), and family members. The program has produced brochures in English and Arabic regarding all aspects of the transplant process. In addition, recipients and donors receive extensive one-on-one instruction and education by members of the multidisciplinary transplant team.
Physician Education
Members of the Kidney Transplant program are regularly invited to local and national meetings to discuss the latest advances in the field of ESRD and kidney transplantation. Team members also speak to local groups of physicians and hold Grand Rounds. In addition, the physicians at Saad Specialist Hospital are available for telephone consultations and invite colleagues to call with questions about complex cases.