About Kidney Transplants
Kidney transplant: All about this procedure
Kidney transplantation is an ideal option for patients with kidney failure. Find out everything you need to know about this procedure as a patient and as a donor.
What is it?
Kidney transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a healthy kidney is taken from a living or deceased donor and implanted into the body of a patient whose kidneys do not function properly.
What does the procedure consist of?
- Firstly, all the necessary pre-operative preparations are carried out.
- General anesthesia is given to the patient.
- An incision is made and the healthy kidney is placed in the lower abdominal region, at the level of the iliac fossa.
- The patient's kidneys are not removed, unless they are causing complications or discomforts such as high blood pressure, infections, pain or kidney stones.
- After this, the blood vessels of the new kidney are connected to the blood vessels in the lower abdominal region.
- The ureter of the new kidney is then connected to the bladder.
- The procedure is then finalized after the wound is sutured.
- Lastly, the recovery process is started when the procedure ends.
Who can benefit from this?
Patients who suffer from kidney failure benefit directly from this procedure.
For dialysis patients, permanent transplantation can offer them a better quality of life, less dietary restrictions and can reduce their risk of death. Preventive kidney transplantation also exists, which consists of performing this procedure on patients who have not yet started dialysis.
Nevertheless, not all patients with kidney failure are apt for transplantation. There are certain risk factors that make this procedure impossible for some:
- Heart problems
- Current or recently treated malignant tumors
- Obesity
- Serious infections
- Advanced age
Who can be a donor?
Any person with two kidneys that function properly can be a potential donor.
Family members usually have compatible tissue and blood types, therefore in many cases, these people become the donors. Risk of incompatibility during the transplantation is therefore reduced, and the person therefore avoids remaining on a waiting list that can take a very long time.
The most frequent cases of kidney transplantation are those known as deceased donors (patients with severe clinical damage), who authorize the donation before their death by their own decision or as decided by their family members. In this aspect, there is a lot of misinformation with regard to donations, making it difficult for more people to be aware of this practice and allow for a greater number of transplants.
It is important to note that a person can live with one healthy kidney, as long as it functions properly.