Offering expert care for patients with kidney failure

Kidney failure patients face two choices: Live with dialysis or get a kidney transplant. The ideal situation is for patients to avoid dialysis and consider kidney transplant first, which requires a living donor.

The Baylor Scott & White kidney transplant programs combined have performed nearly 7,000 kidney transplants. Every year, 350 kidney patients or more receive the life-saving gift of organ donation and transplant at Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scot & White Health, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center—Fort Worth and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center—Temple.

Find a specialist

Patient forms and resources for kidney transplant

Complete the online kidney transplant application and health history forms below.

Dallas

To schedule an appointment with our kidney transplant team, please call 214.820.2050.

Fort Worth

To schedule an appointment with our kidney transplant team, please call 817.922.4650.

Temple

To schedule an appointment with our kidney transplant team, please call 254.724.8912.

Kidney transplant in North Texas: Expert care for more than 30 years

Our kidney transplant program at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas has more than three decades of experience and offers complete services to care for your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs.

We’ve invested in technology like robotic surgery to improve care and perform living donor kidney transplants to minimize the time spent waiting for a new kidney. If you have a potential living kidney donor, we can also check compatibility with others across our network to match the right living donors with the right recipients.

Watch an overview video about our kidney transplant program in North Texas

What makes Baylor Scott & White different for kidney patients?

Living kidney donor transplant

Patients with living donor kidney transplants liver longer, recover more quickly and have a better quality of life. The fastest way to receive a kidney transplant is for a family member, friend, co-worker, or altruistic donor to step forward. These donors don’t have to be related or have the same blood type or be of the same race or gender. They simply need to be healthy and willing. Most donors are between the ages of 18 and 65. (Donors older than 65 are considered on a case-by basis.)

Learn more about living donor transplant

Recipient-donor match opportunities

Our large pool of patients and donors provide increased options for living kidney transplant candidates. We assess potential living kidney donors across all of the Baylor Scott & White transplant locations. This allows us to check compatibility with not only a specific recipient, but with multiple living donor transplant candidates. Our goal in doing this is to get the right living donor to the right recipient.

Robotic techniques

We utilize the newest technology and advanced robotic techniques that make surgery and recovery easier and faster for our donors and recipients.

Learn more about robotic transplantation

Convenient care sites close to you

Baylor Scott & White’s three transplant locations in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple and the additional kidney transplant satellite clinics in Amarillo, Lubbock and Longview make kidney transplant accessible for more patients.

Combined kidney and pancreas transplant

Simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplants are performed for patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes who qualify. The dual transplant functions better than a kidney alone because the new pancreas protects the transplanted kidney from the harmful effects of diabetes. As a result, the new kidney performs better and longer in the kidney/pancreas transplant recipient.

Many kidney/pancreas transplant recipients are free of diabetes years after their transplant and report a higher quality of life than kidney-alone patients. 

Living donor kidney transplants

Donating a kidney to a friend, family member or other person is a big decision. We strive to provide an excellent donor experience and personalized care to all donors. The dedicated living donor team at Baylor Scott & White Health is available to answer all your questions and guide you through the process.

Potential donors may accompany recipients during kidney transplant orientation.

Get started:

  1. Submit questionnaire - Complete our online confidential health history questionnaire for the location where the kidney recipient is being seen.
  2. Donor review - Your donor information will be reviewed by a living donor coordinator.
  3. Donor interview - If you are a possible donor, a coordinator will contact you to review the questionnaire and answer any additional questions.

Learn more about living donor kidney transplants

Contact us

Dallas: 214.820.2050 | Fort Worth: 817.922.4650 | Temple: 254.724.8912

Frequently asked questions about kidney transplant

  • How long is the waiting list for a kidney transplant?

    The waiting time for a kidney transplant can be highly variable. If you have a live donor kidney transplant, your surgery will be scheduled. If you are waiting for a deceased donor or a paired kidney donor, your wait may be difficult to predict and can range from days to years. Learn more about when you need a kidney transplant.

  • Does Baylor Scott & White Health Perform combined kidney and pancreas transplants?

    We do. In fact, as one of the largest organ transplant programs in the state, we have a significantly shorter waiting time than other transplant centers.

  • Does insurance cover the cost of a kidney transplant?

    We have a financial coordinator who will help you and your family with financial-related questions or concerns regarding your organ transplant coverage.

  • Is a transplant right for chronic kidney disease treatment?

    If you have chronic kidney disease, you have two treatment options: dialysis or kidney transplant. Your nephrologist (kidney doctor) will discuss the risks and benefits of each option to determine if a kidney transplant is the best option.

  • What are the options for patients with end-stage renal disease (kidney failure)?

    People with end-stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD), commonly called kidney failure, have two treatment options: dialysis or kidney transplantation. The decision to have a kidney transplant is one that you will make along with the advice of your nephrologist (kidney doctor).

  • Why can't I stay on dialysis for the rest of my life?

    While dialysis is a lifesaving treatment, it involves dependence on a hemodialysis machine or on peritoneal dialysis exchanges (machines that clean your blood and replace the function of your kidneys). For many people, the quality of life on these two types of dialysis is unsatisfactory. Kidney transplantation is another lifesaving option that can provide improved life and freedom from dialysis.

  • What are the advantages of kidney transplant?

    A successful kidney transplant allows most patients to feel better and have an improved quality of life. Although medical supervision will continue after the kidney transplant, you will no longer be dependent upon dialysis. There may also be fewer dietary and fluid restrictions.

  • What are the risks of a kidney transplant?

    Transplantation has risks as well as benefits. Your body may reject the organ transplant. You may experience side effects from the medications. There are surgical risks with all surgical procedures. Your physician will discuss the risks and benefits with you.

  • What happens during kidney transplantation?

    Kidney transplantation is a procedure in which a new kidney from another person is placed into your body, taking over the work of your two failed kidneys. The new kidney can do all the work that your failing two kidneys could not. Candidates for kidney transplantation can be put on a waiting list for a healthy kidney, but some may receive a kidney from a living donor.

  • How can a patient prevent organ rejection?

    A number of very effective medications are available to prevent organ rejection. These medications suppress the immune system, which inhibits rejection of foreign tissue. After a kidney transplant, recipients must take medications daily for the rest of their lives and adhere to all physician instructions as this will greatly reduce the risk of organ rejection.

  • What is life like after receiving a kidney transplant?

    Most patients feel better and enjoy an improved quality of life. You’ll still need medical supervision after your kidney transplant, but you won’t be dependent on dialysis any more. You may also have fewer dietary and fluid restrictions.

  • What happens during transplant surgery?

    Before a kidney from any donor can be used, it is tested to determine whether it matches your tissue type and blood type. This test helps reduce the likelihood that your body will reject the new kidney.

    During transplant surgery, a surgeon will place the healthy donor kidney into your body. The new kidney will do the work that your failing kidneys can no longer perform. Generally, your damaged kidneys will not be removed unless they are causing problems that cannot be treated with medication.

    After placing the donor kidney in your body, the surgeon will connect blood vessels from the donor kidney to arteries and veins in your body. After the ureter—the tube that carries urine to the bladder—from the donor kidney is connected to your ureter, surgeons can allow blood to flow through the new kidney, and it can begin to function. Kidney transplant surgery may take two to four hours.

Medical Leadership

Bernard Victor Fischbach, MD, CCRP
Medical Director, Dallas


Angelito F Yango, MD
Medical Director, Ft. Worth