Kidney
transplant
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Definition |
Surgical procedure to implant a
healthy kidney into a patient with kidney disease
or kidney failure. The kidney transplant may be
taken from a living donor or a recently deceased
donor. |
Alternative names |
renal transplant; transplant of the kidney
|
Description |
Kidney transplants are the second (corneal
transplant is number 1) most common transplant
operation in the United States (over 9,000 cases
per year). The operation is easier than all other
major organ transplants. The patient can be
treated with dialysis
(to filter the blood and remove fluid and waste
products) until a kidney donor can be found.
The healthy kidney is obtained from a living
donor (usually a blood relative) or from a donor
that has recently died but has not suffered
kidney injury. Transportation of the healthy
kidney is done in a cooled saline solution that
preserves the organ up to 48 hours, permitting
the necessary analyses to determine blood and
tissue donor-recipient matching (this matching,
in some cases, is done before the operation).
Living donors: (donates kidney):
While the patient is deep asleep and pain-free (general
anesthesia), an incision is made in the side of
the abdomen (flank). The kidney is removed and
the incision is closed.
Kidney recipient (receives kidney):
While the patient is deep asleep and pain-free (general
anesthesia), an incision is made in the lower
abdomen. The new kidney is stitched into place
within the pelvis and the incision is closed. |
Indications |
Kidney transplant may be recommended for
patients with kidney failure caused by:
- severe, uncontrollable high blood
pressure (hypertension)
- infections
- diabetes mellitus
Kidney transplant is not recommended for
patients who have:
- heart, lung, or liver disease
- other life-threatening diseases
- an infection (such as TB or osteomyelitis)
- difficulty taking medications several
times each day for the rest of their
lives
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Expectations after
surgery |
Kidney transplants require life-long
treatment with medications that suppress the
immune response (immunosuppressive therapy).
Transplants from a blood-related living donor are
considered a slightly better risk (in terms of
avoiding rejection) than from a cadaver (nonliving
donor). Between 80% and 90% of transplanted
kidneys are functioning two years after the
operation. The main problem (as with other
transplants) is graft rejection.
The patient is encouraged to resume normal
activities as soon as possible after surgery.(In
my hospital the opposite was encouraged,to do as
little as possible for 3 to 4 months)
The major obstacle for kidney transplants is the
problem in finding a donor, fighting the
rejection effect, and cost. |
Convalescence |
The recovery period averages 1 month. The
average hospital stay is 1 week(in Belgium it's
minimum 10 days). The sutures or clips are
removed about one week after surgery.(again here
only after 4 weeks)Move the legs often to reduce
the risk of deep venous thrombosis. |
Risks |
Risks for any anesthesia are:
- reactions to medications
- problems breathing
Risks for any surgery are:
Additional risks include:
- infection due to the immunosuppressive
medications that must be taken to prevent
transplant rejections
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