The critical role that medical laboratory professionals play in post-transplant care

Transplants can provide life-changing care to patients in need, but the journey to a successful transplant can be long and arduous. From initial matching to post-transplant care protocols, there are many considerations for healthcare providers, patients and caregivers. Testing before and after transplantation is essential, especially in high-risk cases, to help prevent complications and support strong long-term outcomes.

Medical laboratory professionals perform diagnostic testing immediately after a transplant to confirm that the initial procedure was successful, but continued, regular testing is needed in the coming months and years to help minimize risk or catch early signs of rejection. In fact, according to the National Health Service Blood and Transplant, around 15 percent of kidney transplant patients are at the highest risk for organ rejection within three to six months following transplantation. This illustrates the importance of post-transplant diagnostic testing; clinicians may need to adjust post-transplant care instructions.

Beyond testing to determine organ rejection, these tests can notify the transplant care team if they need to adjust any medication dosages. Transplant patients typically require immunosuppressant drugs post-transplant to help prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organ. The principal drug that is used to prevent rejection, tacrolimus, has a very narrow therapeutic window. If clinicians prescribe too low a dose, the patient may be at risk of organ rejection, but if it is dosed too high, then the patient may be at risk of kidney dysfunction. To mitigate these risks, especially right after transplant, blood and urine tests can help clinicians assess patient status and inform treatment decisions.

Testing to ensure the long-term success of a transplant is crucial. At the center of it all are the medical laboratory professionals who facilitate these tests, which can ultimately help clinicians manage patient outcomes.

The essential role labs play in post-transplant care

Adhering to post-transplant care protocols is just as important as the steps patients and care teams take before the transplant. To minimize the risk of post-transplant complications, patients typically need to take medications regularly and schedule follow-up appointments for lab work. Post-transplant nonadherence often increases when patients feel well and labs look stable, creating a false sense of security about ongoing treatment. When patients have to juggle changes in healthcare coverage, medication costs, taking time off work to travel to appointments, and a multitude of other factors, lab appointments can become irregular.

A shift toward more accessible post-transplant care in recent years offers hope for better compliance. Many transplant care centers have shifted to virtual appointments to meet patient needs and mitigate the challenges with follow-up appointments. Clinicians can direct patients to a nearby clinic for a blood

draw, have the sample sent to the transplant center for analysis, and then review the results together in a virtual follow-up visit.

Whether the appointment is in person or virtual, lab technicians play a critical role, as the first clues of nonadherence often show up in a patient’s lab data. Following analysis, laboratory staff can identify abnormal values and support care teams in tracking clinically meaningful trends. Access to timely, actionable data enables care teams to optimize medication regimens and make informed care decisions.

Building a care plan for success

Post-transplant care has many challenges, but luckily, healthcare teams are working on ways to ease the burden. Beyond an industry shift to virtual appointments and collaboration with local clinics for lab tests, new support tools are being leveraged to help. For example, patients can now receive texts and auto-alerts to stay updated with their post-transplant care plan.

Follow-up testing and medication compliance are lifelong aspects of post-transplant life; therefore, the support from transplant teams is important to patients throughout their journey. This support can include not only extra check-ins with patients to ensure compliance and broader access to their care team if anything changes, but also social support for post-transplant patients. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, social support is correlated with better medication adherence in some groups.

Regardless of the stage in the transplant journey, medical laboratory professionals help patients get the care they need. Post-transplant, they help patients through the crucial aspects of testing and screening and are key to determining treatment plans.

Medical laboratory professionals play an important role in transplant care, providing the testing and insights clinicians rely on to guide treatment and protect long-term outcomes. Their work supports transplantation, providing insights that enable clinical decision-making for thousands of patients every year.

DISCLAIMER. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical decisions should be based on the independent judgment of qualified healthcare professionals, applicable clinical guidelines, and individual patient circumstances.

The author is an employee of Thermo Fisher Scientific. The views expressed are those of the author and are provided for informational purposes only.

This piece was submitted to SelectScience for Lab4Life week 2026.
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