United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland renal physicians' experiences of patients undergoing renal transplants abroad: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey

Background: Due ongoing poor availability of organs, increasingly patients from developed countries are reported to be travelling abroad for renal transplants. We aimed to assess the extent and characteristics of this trend across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey; 397 renal consultants from 33 hospitals with renal units across the UK and the Republic of Ireland were contacted through and 62 replied (16%). Results: Fifty-seven out of 62 (93%) renal consultants managed transplant patients, and of these 36/57 (63%) had managed at least one patient who had undergone a transplant abroad. The most popular reason reported for doing this was being on the UK or Republic of Ireland transplant list but seeking a shorter wait. Respondents reported commencement by overseas doctors of appropriate routine post-transplant prophylaxis with the following medications in all cases they had encountered as follows: co-trimoxazole 12%, isoniazid 3%, anti-fungals 0%, and Cytomegalovirus prophylaxis or treatment 0%. Fourty-four percent of renal consultants reported having some prior warning of a patient undergoing a renal transplant abroad. Conclusions: Renal transplant tourism has become widely established in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and care for these patients is often suboptimal. Furthermore, the opportunity exists for pre-transplant counselling. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.