Kidney Transplants
The Transplant Surgery
The transplant surgery will be done by a team of surgeons
who specialize in transplantation. In related transplants,
a team of two surgeons will remove one of the donor’s
kidneys and another team of two surgeons will transplant the
kidney into you, the recipient. The surgical procedure takes
approximately three to four hours. If you are to have a cadaver
transplant, the kidney will be removed from the donor and
prepared for transplantation. The new kidney is placed in
the lower abdomen.
You can expect to be in the hospital for about two weeks.
During this time, it is important to closely monitor the new
kidney and to adjust medications. Daily blood and urine specimens
will be obtained and x-rays, along with other routine tests,
may be necessary to monitor kidney function.
Your Transplant Physician
Your transplant physician will be caring for you on a daily
basis while you are hospitalized. Each day the doctor will
check the results of your laboratory tests and x-rays. Members
of the transplant team may also visit you daily to check on
your progress, discuss your care and any new tests, treatments
or changes in medications.
It is important for you to ask your transplant physician
any questions you may have and to report any changes in how
you feel. A helpful way to remember all your questions and
concerns is to write them down, or ask a family member to
write them down for you. Family members are reminded that
this can also be a somewhat stressful time for them. They,
too, will have questions and concerns to talk over with the
physicians and transplant team.
After Surgery Medications
Following discharge from the hospital, you will need to attend
the Transplant Clinic at Saint Mary’s. The clinic visits
are scheduled at intervals determined by your physician. This
close medical follow-up is essential to watch for any complications
or signs that the body might be rejecting the new kidney.
Following the transplant, you must take very powerful drugs
in order to suppress the body’s natural attempt to destroy
or reject the new kidney. These drugs include Prednisone,
Sandimmune (Neoral), and Imuran. They are taken in very high
doses at first, because the chances of rejection are greatest
at that time. The doses are slowly reduced, but never discontinued.
It is important for you to be aware of the side effects that
may occur, since each of the drugs contribute to a decrease
in the body’s resistance to infection. Side effects will
be discussed by your physician at the time of evaluation.
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