Kidney Transplant Programme Highlights

Key Statistics

Our kidney transplant programme delivers consistently strong clinical outcomes:

Patient Survival Rates (2021 & 2017)

1‑year patient survival: 100% (living donor and deceased donor) in 2021
5‑year patient survival: Up to 93% for living donor transplants (2017 data)

These outcomes surpass international benchmarks such as USRDS and ANZ.

Graft Survival Rates (2021 & 2017)

1‑year graft survival: 100% for both living and deceased donor transplants in 2021
5‑year graft survival: Up to 94% in selected categories (2018–2019)

Key Milestones/Research and Innovation

1970 – The first deceased kidney donor transplant performed in South-East Asia at SGH
1976 – The first related living kidney donor transplant
1984 – The first successful childbirth from a female kidney transplant recipient
1988 – Introduction of cyclosporine as immunosuppression as the first mainstay immunosuppression to significantly reduce rejection
1989 – Histocompatibility laboratory transferred from SGH to a national laboratory
1990 – SGH celebrates 20 years of kidney transplantation in Singapore
1991 – The first living spousal kidney donor transplant
1992 – The first kidney transplant performed in a patient with diabetes
1994 – SGH celebrates performing its 500th kidney transplant
2003 – The first HLA incompatible living kidney donor transplant using therapeutic plasma exchange
2004 – Introduction of antibody induction agents basiliximab and thymoglobulin
2008 – Introduction of everolimus as alternative maintenance immunosuppression
2009 – Introduction of Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate as mainstay immunosuppression
2009 – The first ABO incompatible living kidney donor transplant
2009 – The first dual kidney transplant from a deceased kidney donor
2009 – The first 75-year-old living kidney donor transplant
2013 – Opening of the transplant centre at Blk 7 Level 1
2015 – The first paired living kidney donor exchange between SGH and NUH
2015 – The first outpatient kidney transplant biopsy is performed at transplant centre
2016 – First use of double filtration plasmaphresis for desensitization and treatment of antibody mediated rejection
2016 – Launch of "A New Sprout of Life " facebook community page for SGH kidney transplant recipients
2016 – First annual end of the year patient update symposium
2017 – First use of Glycosorb immunoadsorption for desensitization of ABO incompatible living kidney donor transplant recipients
2017 – Launch of National Donation After Cardiac Death pilot program
2018 – SGH performs its 1000th deceased kidney donor transplant
2018 – First ABO and HLA incompatible living kidney donor transplant
2018 – First transplant nephrology urology course
2019 – Collaboration with NKF to train dialysis centre nurses on kidney transplantation
2020 – SGH celebrates 50th years of kidney transplantation
2020 – Introduction of intraoperative thymoglobulin and tocilizumab to prevent and treat rejection
2021 – Use of telemedicine to provide continuity of ambulatory care of transplant recipients during the COVID-19 Pandemic
2022 – Introduction of SGH@Home services for transplant recipients
2022 – First Hepatitis B positive living kidney donor transplantation
2022 – Completion of National Donation After Cardiac Death pilot program
2024 - First HIV to HIV living kidney donor transplantation
2024 – First use of Bortezomib to treat antibody mediated rejection
2024 – National Donation After Cardiac Death mainstream program commences (13 February)
2024 – First internal paired kidney donor exchange at SGH (7 March)
2025 – First use of Therasorb immunoadsorption for desensitization of ABO and HLA incompatible living kidney donor transplantation
2025 – First of daratumumab to effectively treat antibody mediated rejection
2025 - Introduction of liquid biopsies and molecular microscope diagnostics in kidney transplantation

Our Transplant Programmes

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Expertise & Experience

Key Statistics

Key Milestones/Research and Innovation

Our Transplant Programmes