Transplant

Our Approach to Transplant Care

IU Health transplant team members work closely with you before, during and after your transplant. We make sure you’re a good transplant candidate and have the necessary support system available to you for a successful transplant.

We’re also here to offer support for you and your loved ones. We teach you how to take care of yourself after transplant, and we provide the follow-up care you need for long-term success.

If you decide on transplant, you’ll be assigned a transplant team that includes:

• Transplant-specialized doctors
• Surgeons
• Pharmacists
• Nurse coordinators
• Social workers
• Dietitians

A pre-transplant coordinator will help you along the road to transplant. A post-transplant coordinator will be your lifetime contact for any challenges you face after transplant.

Our Transplant Services

IU Health offers a full range of transplant services for adults and children at IU Health Methodist Hospital, IU Health University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.

Our experienced expert team offers you the care you need before, during and after transplant, including:

Kidney Transplant

IU Health kidney transplant specialists help adult and pediatric patients with end-stage kidney disease through every stage of the transplant experience.

We perform a high volume of kidney transplants and are prepared for any type of case – from the routine to the most complex. Highlights of our kidney program include:

• Performed kidney transplants for more than 50 years
• Perform more than 200 kidney transplants per year
• Member of multiple national paired kidney donation programs if you have a donor who is blood-type incompatible
• Desensitization services for patients sensitive to human leukocyte antigen (HLA), including patients deemed eligible for transplant elsewhere
• Living Donor Champion Program to help you identify a living kidney donor
• Transplant outreach clinics with video-conferencing technology in several local communities to provide pre- and post-transplant care without you having to travel as much
• Performed 73 percent of all kidney and kidney/pancreas transplants in Indiana in 2019

We also have a living kidney donation program for individuals who wish to donate a kidney to someone they know or to someone anonymously.

Pancreas Transplant

Pancreas transplant is an important option if you have type 1 diabetes with existing or impending end-stage kidney disease or poorly controlled glucose levels.

IU Health transplant surgeons perform the most complex, challenging pancreas cases. Highlights of our pancreas transplant program include:

• The first in Indiana to perform a pancreas transplant
• The first in the world to perform a simultaneous lung/pancreas transplant
• Has been one of the top six ranked programs in U.S. by volume of pancreas transplants performed for over 10 years

Liver Transplant

IU Health offers end-stage liver disease management and transplant services for adults and children.

We work together with our IU Health Comprehensive Liver Oncology Program colleagues to assess liver cancer and patients with neuroendocrine cancer for eligibility for transplant.

Highlights of our liver transplant program include:

• Nationally recognized for excellent outcomes
• Performed 164 liver transplants in 2018—145 adult and 19 pediatric
• The only liver transplant program in Indiana
• Ranked No. 7 in U.S. for volume of liver transplant surgery in 2019

We also have a living liver donation program for individuals who wish to donate a portion of their liver to someone they know or to someone anonymously.

Intestine/Multivisceral Transplant

IU Health is one of the few healthcare systems in the country that performs intestine and multivisceral transplants.

A multivisceral transplant is an intestine transplant combined with two or more abdominal organs. You might need this kind of transplant if you have inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome or necrotizing enterocolitis.

Our unparalleled experience, expertise and technologically advanced facilities allow us to perform even the most complicated adult and pediatric intestine transplants.

Highlights of our intestine/multivisceral transplant program include:

• One of few centers offering adult and pediatric intestine and multivisceral transplants in the country and the only center in Indiana
• Ranked No. 6 in U.S. for volume of intestinal transplants in 2019
• The first isolated intestine transplant in Indiana in 2003
• The first multivisceral transplant in Indiana in 2003

Heart Transplant

IU Health provides expert care to adult and pediatric heart transplant patients, as well as to patients with highly challenging heart failure.

Highlights of our heart transplant program include:

• Performed heart transplants for more than 35 years
• Performed more than 650 adult heart transplants
• The only program performing pediatric heart transplantation in Indiana
• Advanced Heart Care Program for patients with advanced or recurrent heart failure; a continuum of care including ventricular assist devices and heart transplant
• The only Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program in Indiana recognized by Adult Congenital Heart Association; a comprehensive lifetime care program to meet ongoing medical needs of adults with congenital heart disease.

Lung Transplant

The IU Health lung transplant program provides care when you have end-stage lung disease. This includes diseases such as:

• Interstitial lung disease
• Emphysema
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Pulmonary hypertension

Highlights of our lung transplant program include:

• Performed lung transplants for more than 25 years
• The only lung transplant program in Indiana
• Transplanted more than 1,000 patients
• Offers Center of Life for Thoracic Transplant (COLTT)

Transplant Process

When you need a transplant, you can expect this general sequence of events:

• Your doctor's office or dialysis center contacts us, or you contact us directly for an appointment.
• Verification of your insurance benefits coverage by a transplant financial counselor to make sure you’re covered for transplant care at IU Health.
• Your medical records are reviewed. If we determine you are a potential candidate and you wish to proceed, a transplant coordinator will schedule a complete evaluation that will include:
  • Lab tests, including hepatitis, syphilis and HIV tests
  • Radiology (X-ray, CT, MRI) images
  • Psycho-social evaluation
  • Heart testing
  • Tuberculosis test
  • Routine health maintenance tests based on age/risk
    • Colonoscopy
    • Pap test and pelvic exam
    • Mammogram
    • Prostate blood test
  • Dental exam and treatment if necessary
  • Other tests/consultations as needed
• You meet members of the transplant team, including surgeons, medical specialists, social worker, transplant coordinator, psychologist and dietitian.
• Once you are approved to be added to the waitlist for a transplant, you will need to keep the transplant team informed of any changes in your health, your contact information or insurance coverage.
• Stay as healthy as you can while awaiting transplant.
• Keep your bags packed, and be ready to get to the hospital at a moment’s notice.