This video on kidney transplantation runs six and a half minutes and is
produced by the Mayo Clinic. In it, Dr Raymond Heilman, Medical Director of the kidney transplant program at
the Mayo Clinic, explains the benefits of kidney transplantation over kidney dialysis. He also details the
difficulties of getting a kidney transplant when you need one - mainly because there's a long waiting list. About
80,000 people in the United States need kidney transplants, but doctors and hospitals can only perform about 15,000
procedures every year. And of course, the list of those who need a transplant operation continually grows as new
people are added.
Dr. Heilman also describes the the different types of kidney transplant operations and who may be eligible to
donate a kidney to somebody who needs one.
