Transplant and Dialysis Access Surgery

The Transplant and Dialysis Access Surgery department at UHCW is led by a team of five Consultant Surgeons, supported by senior trainees and fellows in general and vascular surgery. In addition, we are supported by one associate specialist in general and renal surgery, junior doctors, specialist nurses and an administration team.
The Transplantation Service extends to patients from Dudley and the West Midlands, with a population of approximately 1.5 million.

We have developed, with Oxford University Hospitals, a joint research, training and clinical service programme (Coventry-Oxford Network for Transplantation, COxNeT). In early 2022 this collaboration will have completed five years and it has allowed patients from both sites to be transplanted at the other when resources have not permitted surgery at their usual hospital.

In the last five years this arrangement has become a national exemplar in transplantation and has allowed more than 130 patients to have a transplant who otherwise might have missed out on the opportunity.

We have a successful living donor and deceased donor kidney transplant programme and are happy to consider higher risk patients who need a kidney transplant, including patients with a high body mass index or for Antibody Incompatible Transplants.
Patients who have previously had transplants that have failed are often difficult to transplant again because their body develops antibodies. These antibodies make it difficult to find a suitable ‘match’ and, therefore, patients who have a kidney donor may not be compatible. We have a desensitisation programme for these patients which involves a specialist treatment to enable the ‘incompatible’ transplant to proceed. We also have a contract with Ireland to provide an Antibody Incompatible Transplantation service to Irish patients.

We look after the surgical needs of patients with kidney failure. This includes preparing patients for peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis by performing specialised surgical procedures. We have a particular interest in complex and revision surgery in patients with challenging vascular access and are happy to accept regional referrals.
There is also an active and vibrant research interest in the department; one of our Consultant Surgeons is the regional lead for research and development, another is a senior clinical research fellow at the University of Oxford.

There are five Transplant Co-ordinators who manage the pre-operative work-up of patients and three Transplant Nurse Specialists who assist in post-transplant follow-up.
Patients admitted for a kidney transplant, or for live kidney donation, are admitted to the Surgical Enhanced Care Units at UHCW. Major inpatient surgery is performed in the UHCW Main Theatres and we also use the UHCW Day Case Theatres for local anaesthetic and smaller procedures.

Transplant patients are jointly managed by the Consultant Surgeon and Consultant Nephrologist of the week, with daily ward rounds. Once discharged, they are followed up in the acute transplant clinic, held on the fifth floor, where patients are managed prior to being discharged back to their referring Consultant Nephrologist.
We hold regular multi-disciplinary team meetings in order to deliver integrated and comprehensive care. There are currently four dialysis access operating lists per week and three dialysis access assessment clinics, plus a multi-disciplinary meeting held with the interventional radiologists on a Thursday morning. Support facilities for the investigation of renal disease are excellent, including ultrasound, CT, MRI and radioisotope imaging.

There is a separate on-call rota for interventional radiology, which provides a comprehensive service including fluoroscopy/angiography, stenting and the placement of percutaneous nephrostomies. We provide a full 24-hour, seven days a week, on-call service for transplant patients and vascular access emergencies.

If you would like to transfer to our renal transplant waiting list, please contact any of the Transplant Co-ordinators (details in the Contact Us section).
If you are considering being a live kidney donor, please contact our Live Donor Co-ordinators, (details in the Contact Us section).

We are based at University Hospital, Coventry, on the fifth floor.
Secretaries: Tracy Peckett and Sandra Kryza: 024769625182

Transplant Co-ordinators:
Yvonne Myers: 02476 966207
Jane Reid (live donor): 02476 967790
Laura Fraser (live donor): 02476 967828
Rufina Sanchez: 02476 967744
Sharon Timms: 02476 967782

Post-Transplant Clinic: 02476 967745/6

Vascular Access Specialist Nurses:
Floramae Ibarreta and Loveleena Athaide: 02476968307

Peritoneal Dialysis Team: 02476 968308

Renal Services
British Transplantation Society
NHS Blood and Transplant