Abstract

Renal transplantation is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States due to an aging population and a growing number of patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension, the two leading causes of kidney failure.1 In 2013, 17,600 renal transplants were performed in the United States, including procedures involving the transplant of additional organs.1 As of December 2013, an additional 86,965 patients were on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.