Kidney Transplantation in Saskatchewan

About 50-60 people in Saskatchewan are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. On average, they will wait 2.8 years for a kidney — that's 437 dialysis treatments per person. 

Kidney Transplant Assessment

Patients are referred to the Saskatchewan Transplant Program by their Nephrologist (kidney doctor). The Assessment team reviews and accepts the referrals then completes the necessary assessments and testing to determine if the patient is eligible to receive a kidney. This person is placed on a wait list upon completion of assessment and approval for listing. While on the kidney transplant waitlist, a patient's health and wellness continues to be assessed. 

The average amount of time to assess an individual for a kidney transplant is 1.5 years.
 
The length of time a patient may wait for a transplant depends on many things:

• Patient health and wellness
• Blood type
• Sensitization 

Options

Kidney transplant is considered one of numerous treatment options.  A donor must be a match with a recipient, and this match requires compatibility between blood types and cell proteins. Types of transplants include:

• Deceased Donor Transplant
• Living Kidney Donation
  • Directed Donor
  • Kidney Paired Donation (non-compatible pairs) (KPD)

 
Kidney Paired Donation (KPD)

This national, organ-sharing registry provides kidney transplant opportunities for hard-to-match, highly sensitized patients and non-compatible pairs through access to a larger number of potential donors. Highly sensitized patients are individuals with past exposure to foreign tissue through pregnancy, past transplants, vaccines or past blood transfusions. These patients are at higher risk of rejecting a kidney, and this increased risk makes it challenging to find a match. 

In 2024 the Highly Sensitized Patient Program through KPD hit the milestone of 1000 transplants. 

Post-transplant Clinic

All kidney transplants in Saskatchewan are performed in Saskatoon at St. Paul's Hospital. After receiving a kidney transplant, patients are supported by the transplant team closest to home in either Saskatoon or Regina. 

Outpatient clinic visits are essential for the well-being of patients by monitoring the functioning of the transplanted kidney, and by providing social support and medication management support.​​ Recipients of kidneys are followed up weekly rotating in person and virtual for the first several months after transplant and then every 2-3 months in person and virtual rotating for the life of their transplant.​

Recipients of kidney transplants require daily life-long medications called immunosuppressants. These drugs are required to prevent transplant rejection. Regular post-transplant clinic visits and a focus on health and wellness also support the success of a kidney transplant.

• Biweekly blood work for drug levels of these medications for the first few weeks. 
• Monthly blood work for drug levels for the remaining life of their transplant.