Kidney Transplant – System Performance Data
A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a person whose kidneys no longer function properly. It is considered the best clinical treatment option for people with end-stage renal disease, among those for whom it is appropriate. A transplant can help people with chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease feel better and live longer.
In comparison with dialysis, kidney transplantation is associated with better health, increased life expectancy, improved quality of life and lower costs for the health system.[1]
Learn more about kidney transplantation.
Living Donor Kidney Transplant
Results
Over the 12-month period before the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2022/23, 1.6% of people treated for end-stage renal disease in Ontario received a kidney transplant from a living donor. Performance on this indicator increased compared with the 12 months before the end of Q4 of fiscal year 2020/21, when 1.3% received a transplant from a living donor.
Living or Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant
Results
Over the 12-month period preceding the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2022/23, 54.3% of people treated for end-stage renal disease in Ontario received a kidney transplant from a living or deceased donor. Performance in this indicator increased compared with the 12 months before the end of Q4 of fiscal year 2020/21, when 4.6% received a transplant.
Why it matters
There are benefits to receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor compared with a deceased donor, including:
- a shorter wait time for an individual to receive a transplant
- a kidney that starts working sooner after the surgery
- a kidney that lasts longer
- the possibility of receiving a kidney transplant before needing to go on dialysis
How Ontario compares
Ontario’s transplant recipient rate in 2021 for living donors was 14.7 per million population, the highest in the country. Ontario’s transplant recipient rate in 2021 for deceased donors was 25.0 per million population. Only British Columbia/Yukon Territories and Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut had higher rates of deceased donors.[2]
A recent study found that out of 35 countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada ranked 11th in kidney transplant rates from living donors and 16th in transplant rates from deceased donors.[3]
Improving care in Ontario
In partnership with Trillium Gift of Life Network, we have developed the Access to Kidney Transplantation and Living Donation strategy. The aim of this strategy is to increase the annual number of living donor kidney transplants in Ontario to 300 per year by 2025. We will do this by focusing on 4 pillars: quality improvement, data, education, and a peer support program known as the Transplant Ambassador Program.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that data used in this publication were provided by the Trillium Gift of Life Network, Ontario Health, which is funded by the Government of Ontario. The analyses, conclusions, opinions and statements expressed in the material are those of the author(s), and not necessarily those of the Trillium Gift of Life Network.