decreases with time on the waiting list,” study leader Dr. Rainer Oberbauer, from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria says.
“Nevertheless, patients might have a higher quality of life when transplanted and therefore should get a second transplant if a suitable donor organ is available,” he said in a journal news release.
Patients with a failed first kidney transplant should be placed on a waiting list immediately if they are fit to undergo a second transplantation, Oberbauer emphasizes.
If “these results are reproduced in imitated trials from other countries, it would signify the importance of decreasing time on the waiting list for second kidney transplant candidates by measures such as expedited work-up and enlistment of patients with failing first kidney transplants before they require dialysis,” an accompanying editorial notes.
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Tips while waiting on a kidney transplant
If you are currently on the waitlist for a kidney transplant, the American Kidney Fund suggests the following:
- Do not miss appointments with your transplant team, primary doctor, and other doctors.
- If you are on dialysis, do not miss your dialysis sessions.
- Let your transplant team know if you experience any changes in your health, even if you feel like you just caught a cold.
- Take all medicines prescribed to you by your transplant team. Let the transplant team know if you are taking medicine from another doctor.
- Carefully follow the eating and exercise plan given to you by the transplant team. You may be asked to see a dietitian or physical therapist.
- Manage your health care by keeping all of your medical papers in a folder or binder so they are all available in one place.
- If you are a woman, talk to your transplant team about birth control, and what you should know about having children before and after your transplant.
- Immediately let your transplant team know if any part of your contact information changes, especially your address or phone number.
