Kidney transplant

Kidney transplant

It is a surgery to place a healthy kidney in a person with kidney failure .

Description
Kidney transplants are one of the most common transplant operations in the United States.

You need a kidney donated to replace the work previously done by your kidneys.

The donated kidney can come from:

A living family donor, related to the recipient, as a parent, sibling, or child
A donor not related to the recipient, such as a friend or spouse
A deceased donor, a recently deceased person who is known to have had no chronic kidney disease
The healthy kidney is transported in cold water with salt (saline solution) that preserves the organ for up to 48 hours. This gives health care providers time to perform blood and tissue compatibility tests of the donor and recipient prior to the operation.

PROCEDURE FOR A LIVING KIDNEY DONOR:

If you are going to donate a kidney, you will be given general anesthesia prior to surgery, which means you will be asleep and will not feel pain. Currently, surgeons may use smaller surgical incisions with laparoscopic techniques to remove the kidney.

PROCEDURE FOR THE PERSON RECEIVING THE KIDNEY (RECEIVER):

People receiving a kidney transplant are given general anesthesia prior to surgery.

The surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdominal area.
The surgeon places the new kidney into the lower abdomen. The artery and vein of the new kidney are connected to the artery and vein in the pelvis. Blood circulates through the new kidney, which produces urine exactly as your own kidneys did when they were healthy. Then the conduit that carries the urine (ureter) is connected to the bladder.
Your kidneys are left in place, unless they are causing a health problem. Then the wound closes.
Kidney transplant surgery takes about 3 hours. Diabetic people can also have a pancreas transplant at the same time. This can add another 3 hours to the surgery.

Why the procedure is performed
Your doctor may recommend a kidney transplant if you have end-stage kidney disease. The most common cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States. Is diabetes. However, there are many other causes.

A kidney transplant may NOT be performed if you have:

Certain infections, such as TB or bone infections
Problems taking your medication several times each day for the rest of your life
Liver disease, heart disease or lung disease
Other life-threatening diseases
Recent history of cancer
Infections such as hepatitis
Current behaviors such as smoking, alcohol or drug abuse or other risky lifestyle habits
Risks
Specific risks related to this procedure include:

Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
Heart attack or stroke
Wound Infections
Side Effects of Medications Used to Prevent Transplant Rejection
Loss of kidney transplanted
Before Procedure
Once the doctor returns you to a transplant center, the transplant team will evaluate and examine you. They need to verify that you meet the requirements for a kidney transplant. You will have several visits over the course of several weeks or even months and you will also need blood taken and x-rays taken.

Exams that are done before the procedure include:

Histotyping and blood grouping to help verify that your body will not reject the donated kidney
Blood or skin tests to check for infections
Heart tests such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, or cardiac catheterization
Exams to look for early cancer
It will also be necessary to consider one or more transplant centers to determine which is best for you.

Ask the center staff how many transplants they carry out each year and what the survival rates are. Compare these numbers with those of other transplant centers.
Ask about support groups they have available and the type of travel and lodging arrangements they offer.
If the transplant team believes that you are eligible for a kidney transplant, they will put you on a national waiting list.

Your place on a waiting list depends on many factors. Key factors include the type of kidney problems you have, the severity of your heart disease, and the likelihood that the transplant will be successful.

For adults, the time you usually stay on a waiting list is not a factor that determines how quickly you get a kidney. Most people waiting for a kidney transplant are on dialysis. While waiting for a kidney:

Follow any diet your transplant team recommends.
Do not drink alcohol.
Do not smoke.
Keep your weight in the recommended range. Follow any recommended exercise program.
Take all medicines as prescribed. Report changes in your medicines and any new or worsening medical problems to the transplant team.
Attend medical check-ups with your regular doctor and transplant team. Make sure the transplant team has the correct phone numbers, so they can immediately tell you if a kidney is available. Make sure they can contact you quickly and easily.
List everything in advance to go to the hospital.
After the Procedure
If you received a kidney donated, you will need to stay in the hospital for about 3 to 7 days. After this, you will need careful monitoring by a doctor and regular blood tests for 1 to 2 months.

The recovery period is approximately 6 months. Often the transplant team will ask you to stay close to the hospital for the first 3 months. You will need to have regular medical checkups with blood tests and x-rays for many years.

Expectations (prognosis)
Almost everyone feels that they have a better quality of life after transplantation. Those who receive a kidney from a living related donor have a better prognosis than those who receive it from a deceased donor. If you donate a kidney, you can often live safely and uncomplicated with the remaining kidney.

People who receive a transplanted kidney may reject the new organ. This means that your immune system sees the new kidney as a foreign substance and tries to destroy it.

In order to avoid rejection, almost all kidney transplant recipients have to take medications that inhibit the immune response for the rest of their lives, which is called immunosuppressive therapy. Although the treatment helps prevent organ rejection, it also puts patients at greater risk for infection and cancer. If you take this medicine, you need to have cancer screenings. Medications can also cause high blood pressure and high cholesterol and increase the risk of diabetes.

A successful kidney transplant requires careful control with the doctor and you have to always take the medication according to the instructions.