People with failing kidneys are increasingly skipping dialysis and going directly to transplant, new national data shows. The "pre-emptive" kidney transplants still represent a fraction of the total number of kidney transplants performed every year, but that fraction is growing. Fifteen percent of all transplants performed in the United States in 2007 were pre-emptive, up from 9-10 percent in the early 1990's.
 
Kidney specialists have known for years that patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) will do better if they have transplants before they need to go on dialysis or after only a short period on dialysis. When a patient can go directly to transplant and avoid dialysis, the transplanted organ is more likely to start working fast and to function well. For information on transplantation, visit http://www.aakp.org/transplant-information/.     

This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.