Advances and challenges in renal transplantation in Latin America

Latin America is a region made up of 33 countries that share many characteristics with each other. Since the first kidney transplant in Argentina in 1957, most of the Latin American countries have had a continuous increase in renal transplant activity, accounting for an increase in the total number of kidney transplants over time. In the last years, several advances have been made in the area of renal transplantation in Latin America: There are transplantation activities in almost all countries, the kidney transplantation rate from deceased donors has steadily increased, and almost all the countries have an appropriate legislation for transplantation activity. But much remains to be done to increase the kidney transplantation rate in order to cover the current demand. This could be achieved by ensuring unlimited access to renal transplantation, by improving deceased-donor programs to match the increasing burden of chronic diseases, and by incorporating new technology, new tools, and more trained people in transplant programs.