- A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure done in some patients with kidney disease. In the procedure, a healthy donor organ is transplanted into the patient with kidney disease. Only one kidney is transplanted. A person can live a healthy life with only one functioning kidney.
- Doctors evaluate a patient to determine if she will be a good candidate for a kidney transplant. A patient must be healthy enough to undergo the surgery and take immunosuppressive drugs. Immunosuppressive drugs help the body to not reject the donor organ. They must be taken for the remainder of the patient's life. They are a necessity, but they do have side effects, which include a weakening of the immune system.
- There are two types of donors: a living donor and a deceased donor. A living donor is usually a family member or close friend. A kidney from a deceased donor comes from a person who has passed away but has a healthy kidney. There is a waiting list for kidneys from deceased donors because there are more people in need of kidneys than there are kidneys available for donation.
- Whether the donor kidney comes from a living or deceased donor, it still must be compatible. The donor kidney must match the blood and tissue types of the person who is to receive the kidney. Medical tests are done on patients and potential donors to determine if the kidney would be compatible. If a person is placed on a waiting list, his blood and tissue types are listed on the waiting list file.
- If a person is going to receive a kidney from a living donor, the surgery can happen once compatibility is determined. If a person needs a deceased donor, she will be put on a waiting list. The average waiting time for a donor kidney is 3 to 5 years. When a donor organ becomes available, the person who is the most compatible with the organ is chosen to receive the transplant. Transplants must happen very soon after the kidney becomes available. Medical staff calls the person to let her know that a kidney is available. The person must immediately go to the hospital once she is notified.
- When a donor kidney is available, doctors run tests to verify organ compatibility. Once compatibility is verified, the patient is brought into surgery. The surgery takes approximately 2 to 4 hours. The donor kidney is attached to the bladder and blood vessels. Usually, the old kidneys are left in place. They are only removed if the old kidneys are infected or too large to allow the placement of the new kidney.
- After the surgery, the patient is put on immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the donor organ. Medical staff will keep an eye on the patient to make sure that the new kidney is functioning correctly. Sometimes a patient will need to be put on dialysis for a few days while the new kidney heals enough to work. After the kidney is working properly and the patient is healthy, he can go home. Some patients go home in as little as 5 days after surgery.
- A receiver of a donor kidney will have to take immunosuppressive drugs for the remainder of her life. It is critical that the patient regularly goes back to the doctor for checkups in order to catch any problems early. Rejection of the kidney is always possible, although the risks decrease after a few months. The earlier that rejection or other health problems are discovered, the better the chance that they can be treated. Other than follow up care, the patient can generally live a normal life.
