This information will help you decide if kidney (or renal, which is another word for kidney) transplant is right for you. It will help you and your family learn about the steps of receiving a kidney transplant and about living kidney donation. Each topic explains what a person goes through before a transplant, the waiting time, and what happens after a transplant. This may seem overwhelming. This information will answer your questions and guide you through your transplant, if that’s what you choose. The more you know, the more prepared you’ll feel.
Our transplant team includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, and clerical staff. We have a pre-transplant team and a post-transplant team. There’s one team that works with you before the transplant and a different team that works with you after the transplant. For our pediatric patients, the same doctors and nurses will work with you before and after transplant. The unit clerks, dietitians and social workers will change from pre-transplant to post-transplant.
Words that may be new to you will be explained throughout the document. A glossary at the end gives more information.
Kidneys and Transplants
Interesting Facts:
- Northern Alberta Renal Program (NARP) performed its first kidney transplant in January, 1967.
- Southern Alberta Transplant Program (ALTRA) performed its first kidney transplant in May, 1971.
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NATP* |
ALTRA |
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Area it serves |
Red Deer to Northwest Territories, and Northern British Columbia |
South of Red Deer, east to Saskatchewan border, south to the U.S. border and west to the British Columbia border |
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Number of people following |
About 1300 people who have had kidney transplants |
About 1000 people who have had kidney transplants |
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Number being evaluated |
About 400 people |
About 300 people |
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New referrals each month |
20 to 25 people |
20 to 25 people |
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Number on the transplant wait list |
About 180 people |
About 200 people |
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Average number of transplants each year |
80 to 100 transplants |
80 to 100 transplants |
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Number of living donor transplants each year |
About 25 to 30 living donor kidney transplants |
About 35 to 40 living donor kidney transplants |
*Northern Alberta Transplant Program
Transplants in Alberta
Between 2011 and 2017 in Alberta, there was a total of 479 living donor kidney transplants, with an average of 68 living donor transplants per year. During this same time, there were 616 total deceased donor kidney transplants averaging 88 deceased donor kidney transplants per year.
Transplants by Organ Type, 2006-2018, Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR)
