Kidney Transplantation
A kidney transplant is an operation that places a healthy kidney in your body. The transplanted kidney takes over the work of the two kidneys that failed, so you no longer need dialysis.
During a transplant, the surgeon places the new kidney in your lower abdomen and connects the artery and vein of the new kidney to your artery and vein. Often, the new kidney will start making urine as soon as your blood starts flowing through it. But sometimes it takes a few weeks to start working.
What is a Kidney Transplant?
A kidney transplant is the surgical placement of a healthy kidney from another person into your body. Usually, your kidneys are left in place, but sometimes they must be removed.
Who needs one?
If you have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or kidney failure, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to replace your lost kidney function. A transplant diet is less limited than a dialysis diet. Also, many medical problems like anemia, high blood pressure, heart problems, and nerve damage often improve after a transplant.
Where does the donated kidney come from? There are three ways that you can receive a kidney for transplant:
• A living related kidney can come from a brother, sister, parent, aunt, uncle, or cousin.
• A living non-related kidney can come from a husband, wife, friend, or extended family (e.g., an in-law)
• A (Cadaver) Deceased donor kidney comes from a person who has recently died and expressed a wish to donate his/her organs after death
Only one kidney is needed for transplant since a person can be healthy with only one working kidney.
The transplant team will do a series of blood tests on both you and the possible donor to learn your blood and tissue types. This is known as tissue typing and cross matching. This information helps figure out whether your body’s immune system will accept the new kidney or reject it. If your blood and tissue types are not compatible, the transplant will not be done and you will continue your search for a new kidney. There may be other tests you must have done before you can have a kidney transplant. The transplant team will discuss these and schedule them if necessary. If a suitable match is made, you will be scheduled for surgery.
How long will the transplant work? How long your new kidney will work can vary. Many people live well with a transplanted kidney for years or even decades before it stops working well. Right now, in the U.S., 88.4% of deceased donor kidneys survive one year, and 65.5% survive for 5 years. Among living donor kidneys, 94.4% survive one year, and 78.7% survive for 5 years. (UNOS)
If you have a kidney transplant and it fails, you will either need a new kidney, or dialysis. You can raise your chance of your new kidney working longer by following your doctor’s advice on diet and lifestyle changes, as well as taking all of your medications as prescribed.
