HISTORY OF KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION When was the first kidney transplant performed?
A surgical team from Boston successfully performed the first kidney transplant from one identical twin to the other in December 1954. Emory’s first living-related kidney transplant was performed in 1966. Survival rates improved in the early 1980s with the discovery of cyclosporine, a medicine that reduces the risk that the body will reject the new kidney. Today, kidney transplantation is very successful. Emory’s survival rates for patients and kidney grafts are even higher than the national averages. Results continue to improve because of better medications for the treatment of rejection and infection. The major limiting factor to transplantation today is the lack of donor organs. (return to top) THE FAILING KIDNEY What is end-stage renal disease (also called ESRD) ? End-stage renal (kidney) disease occurs when the kidneys no longer perform their vital functions. The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood, excreting the end products of body metabolism in the urine, and regulat
