Kidney Transplant for Patients with Obesity

Apr 29 11:30am | Kristin Eggebraaten | @keggebraaten

At many transplant centers in the U.S., people who have a high body mass index (BMI) don't qualify for kidney transplant. The traditional cutoff for patients’ weight is a BMI over 35. At Mayo Clinic, that cutoff has been 40. However, with obesity growing to affect 40% of the U.S. population and 60% of people needing a kidney transplant, Mayo Clinic developed the Kidney Transplant Metabolic Program to help more people get the care they need.

In the past, transplant centers didn’t have the resources to assist patients in addressing the reasons why they didn’t qualify for transplant, such as obesity. Most doctors asked patients to return home, lose their excess weight, and come back to the center once they met the criteria. As those with kidney disease know, weight loss can be very difficult while suffering the fatigue and general feelings of being unwell that are typically associated with chronic illness.

In 2021 Mayo Clinic began developing a program to address patients with obesity in the transplant population. Mayo Clinic uses a patient centered approach to help you reach your transplant goals. Two physicians at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Aleksandra Kukla, M.D., a nephrologist, and Tayyab (Ty) S. Diwan, M.D., an abdominal transplant surgeon, have paved the way to transplant for patients with obesity using a variety of weight loss methods to increase access. People with obesity often suffer from diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and other conditions that increase their risk for heart related events during and after transplant. This program identifies patients with obesity early and offers support, dietary help, access to medications and surgical procedures, and mental health care before transplant to treat these high-risk conditions. “The team strives to identify patients with high BMI early, offering consult on risk and treatment. This alignment of bariatric and transplant disciplines is uncommon among medical centers,” says Dr. Kukla. After the transplant, this program will continue to work with patients who need assistance staying healthy.

Our Transplant and Metabolic Team uses an interdisciplinary approach to bring both transplant and weight loss services to you. This includes access to a nephrologist, transplant surgeon, RN care coordinator, bariatric surgeon and nurse, endocrinologist, and the high level of diet and psychological care necessary to help patients manage their weight and cope with their illness in the healthiest way possible.

Creating this new program allows patients to complete their evaluation and consultations in two to three days with some visits being available via portal and video, rather than making countless visits to the clinic. Our team creates the best plans with attention to individual needs of each patient.

Have you been turned down for kidney transplant due to your weight? If you are interested in this program, you can learn more on our web page or contact us directly for more information!

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