The Fast-Track Program: A new Organizational Model to Enhance Living Donor and Pre-emptive Kidney Transplantation

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Transplant Surgery

Background:

• Living donor kidney transplantation (LD KTx) is the optimal treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
• LD KTx is underutilized in Italy due to organizational issues and long evaluation periods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a Fast-track program (FTp) for streamlining the evaluation of donor and recipient pairs (DR).
• To reduce the time between initial consultation and LD KTx.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a 5-day outpatient FTp for DR clinical work-up.
• Comparison of FTp outcomes with a traditional work-up protocol (Tp) in ESRD patients.

Main Results:

• The FTp resulted in a significant reduction in the time from consultation to LD KTx.
• A higher proportion of pre-emptive LD KTx was observed in the FTp group compared to the Tp group.

Conclusions:

• The FTp model effectively reduces evaluation timelines and increases pre-emptive LD KTx rates.
• This program offers a scalable solution to improve transplant access and outcomes, particularly for patients from distant regions.