Transplant services
When an organ is compromised by trauma or begins to fail, a transplant may be the most suitable treatment. Transplants involve removing a healthy organ or tissue from a donor to replace a diseased organ, blood or bone marrow in a recipient.
Transplant center in Richmond, Virginia
We foster the well-being of our kidney transplant patients.
Needing a kidney transplant can seem daunting, but at Henrico Doctors' Hospital, we're here to make your treatment as seamless as possible. Whether you're in need of a transplant or are a living donor, we design and personalize your treatment to fit your case with care.
Located in Henrico Doctor’s Hospital, the Virginia Transplant Center is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm and offers access to our team members to help you get started on your journey.
Kidney transplant referral process
We understand needing a kidney transplant can be overwhelming. Our Virginia Transplant Center simplifies the referral and evaluation process with a personalized approach for each patient. Referrals are required from your nephrologist or dialysis center and applicable to patients with chronic kidney disease or on dialysis.
Healthcare providers can fax referrals to (804) 287-4359 or submit them through TxAccess, a web-based communication platform that allows patient referrals to be uploaded and tracks status, appointments, test results and transplant center communications for the patient.
Referral criteria
Patient evaluation referral criteria include:
- A confirmed CKD or ESRD diagnosis
- Being at least 18 years old
- No active malignancy
- BMI greater than 40
- Having HIV-negative status
- Known lack of financial or social support
- Known unstable major psychiatric disorder despite medical treatment
- No active substance abuse
- No known uncorrectable cardiac disease
- No known uncorrectable pulmonary disease
- No chronic infection unresponsive to treatment
- Not oxygen dependent
Kidney transplant evaluation process
Our dedicated transplant team — including surgeons, nephrologists, nurses, social workers, and specialists — guides you through a thorough evaluation to determine your transplant readiness.
- Initial consultation: A transplant nurse coordinator will conduct an initial phone call to learn about your background. You will then attend an educational class about kidney transplantation to help you understand the process and determine if a transplant is right for you.
- Comprehensive assessment: We'll conduct a holistic review of your medical, financial and personal circumstances. This includes meeting with our financial coordinator to understand potential costs, consulting with a social worker to assess your support system and reviewing your overall health and readiness for transplant.
- Medical evaluation: You'll undergo extensive medical testing, including blood work, CT scans, ultrasounds and consultations with various specialists, such as cardiology and psychology. Our team will thoroughly assess your medical condition to ensure you are a suitable candidate for kidney transplantation.
- Locations: Evaluations can be completed at our main transplant center or satellite pre-transplant clinics in Spotsylvania and Williamsburg.
- Candidate selection: Our multidisciplinary team carefully considers multiple factors to determine transplant eligibility, including medical stability, treatment compliance, support system, and overall health condition. We aim to guide you efficiently through the process with compassionate, comprehensive care.
Living kidney donation
Living kidney donation offers remarkable benefits for donors and recipients. Most people are born with two healthy kidneys but only need one to function, making it possible for a healthy individual to save a life through donation.
Living kidney donation benefits
Living donor kidneys provide significant advantages over deceased donor kidneys. Patients can expect a much shorter waiting period, typically six to 12 weeks from referral to transplant, compared to the three to five-year wait for deceased donor kidneys. These kidneys often begin functioning faster, resulting in shorter hospital stays and better long-term outcomes.
Comprehensive donation process
Henrico Doctor's Hospital, in partnership with the National Kidney Registry, offers a supportive and thorough approach to living kidney donation. Our dedicated transplant team guides potential donors through every step, including medical evaluation, education and personalized support.
We specialize in paired exchange kidney transplants; a unique approach helping more patients receive life-saving kidneys. When donor-recipient pairs have incompatible blood types, we can "swap" kidneys between pairs, increasing the chances of successful transplantation.
Advanced surgical techniques our center offers include:
- Robotic and laparoscopic surgery to minimize discomfort
- Remote donation options
- Financial assistance through the National Living Donor Assistance Center
The Virginia Transplant Center has the most extensive paired exchange kidney transplant experience in Virginia, demonstrating our dedication to saving lives through innovative kidney donation strategies.
Want to be a living kidney donor?
Living kidney donations are vital to the kidney transplant surgery process. It is important to know and understand the necessary qualifications.
Living kidney donations are vital to the kidney transplant surgery process. It is important to know and understand the necessary qualifications.
Your donor journey
Our living donor kidney transplant coordinator will be your dedicated guide throughout the donation process. From the initial call to gather your medical background through comprehensive education, we ensure you are fully supported and informed. You will work closely with our multidisciplinary team, including specialists who will conduct thorough evaluations and determine your donation candidacy. Our comprehensive approach involves meeting with living donor advocates, social workers, surgeons, and nephrologists to provide personalized care and guidance.
Partnership with National Kidney Registry
Henrico Doctor's Hospital collaborates closely with the National Kidney Registry to maximize living donor kidney donations. Their mission focuses on increasing kidney transplants from living donors, improving donor-recipient matches, and providing robust support to donors throughout the process.
Specialized donation solutions
Our unique paired exchange kidney transplant program offers innovative solutions when direct donation is not possible. When donor-recipient pairs have incompatible blood types, we can "swap" kidneys between pairs, helping more patients receive life-saving transplants. The Virginia Transplant Center leads the state with more than five times the paired exchange experience of other transplant centers in Virginia.
We offer advanced donation options including robotic and laparoscopic surgical techniques, remote donation possibilities, and financial assistance through the National Living Donor Assistance Center to remove barriers to donation.
What is a kidney transplant?
A kidney transplant is the process of taking a kidney from either a living healthy person or a deceased person and putting the kidney into a recipient who needs a kidney.
A kidney transplant requires specialized medication referred to as immunosuppression medications to prevent a recipient from rejecting the medication. These medications also have their own side effects and are dose adjusted individually per patient. Recipients require daily support from family to recover from a kidney transplant and navigate life adjusting to transplant.
Finding a donor
You can receive a kidney from either a deceased or living donor.
Deceased donors: Families generously donate their loved one's healthy organs to help others live fuller lives. While rare, families may choose to donate directly to a specific recipient. Note that deceased donor kidneys may need time to begin functioning, potentially requiring temporary dialysis.
Living donors: A healthy person can donate their kidney either directly to you or through paired exchange. If you know someone interested in donating, direct them to the online pre-admissions page. Need help finding a donor? We partner with the National Kidney Registry to provide you with a free personalized website (microsite). Ask your transplant coordinator for your microsite link.
Post-transplant surgery care
Kidney transplant surgery varies by donor type. For deceased donor kidneys, we make a single incision in your lower abdomen. Living donor recipients may be eligible for minimally invasive robotic surgery using several small incisions.
After surgery, you will have frequent follow-up visits with our transplant team — initially twice weekly, then gradually decreasing. Your care plan will be personalized and may include lifestyle modifications to protect your new kidney.
Our transplant team is available 24/7 at (804) 289-4941 for any questions or emergencies.
Meet our team
We have offered kidney transplant services to the central Virginia area since 1990.
Our team consists of surgeons, nephrologists, nurse practitioners, nursing coordinators, financial coordinators, social workers, dietitians and specialized staff. We are committed to supporting you through your kidney transplant journey and opportunity to live life without dialysis.