ABSTRACT
Renal transplantation offers patients a life free from dialysis and provides improved survival over dialysis as well (1). Unfortunately, the number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) continues to grow, while the number of organs available for transplantation has not kept up with the increased demand. As the disparity between organs available for transplantation and the number of potential recipients increases, the number of patients on the waiting list grows rapidly. Currently, there are over 63,000 patients awaiting a kidney transplant in the United States (2).
