What are the Hospitalization and
Surgery Like ?
Those who are having a transplant from a friend or family member
will be able to schedule their transplant at a time convenient for
the donor and the recipient. For someone on the transplant list,
the call to go to the hospital for a transplant may come at any
time.
Before you have your transplant you will have blood tests, a chest
x-ray, and an EKG. If you have an active infection or any other
significant health problem, the transplant may have to be postponed
or cancelled. You will have an IV started to give you fluids since you are not
allowed to eat or drink anything. After you arrive in the operating room, you will have a blood pressure
cuff applied and you will be placed on a heart monitor. Recipients
will have a large central vein IV placed and a foley catheter inserted
once they are asleep. This IV will be used for several days to administer
anti-rejection medication.
An incision is made in the lower abdomen. The surgical team will
then attach the artery and vein of your new kidney to one of your
arteries and veins, and they will attach the new kidney's ureter
(the tube that carries urine to the bladder) to your bladder. If
you still have one or both of your own kidneys, they will not be
removed. The procedure should take about 4 hours to complete.
The surgery for living donor nephrectomy and kidney transplantation
occurs at the same time. The kidney donor and recipient are in adjoining
operating rooms. As the transplant surgeon is removing the kidney
from the donor; a surgeon is preparing the recipient for transplantation
of that kidney.
What are Some Possible Post-transplant Complications ?
A number of complications are possible after surgery. There is no
way to predict for sure which patients will have which problems.
Your transplant team will do their best to reduce your chance of
having complications and to treat them right away if you have any.
Following instructions carefully and keeping your transplant team
informed of any problems will help you return quickly to a normal,
active life
What is Rejection ?
Rejection is one of the most important concerns for renal transplant
recipients. Acute rejection most commonly occurs within the first
three months after transplantation, but it can also occur many months
or years after transplantation.
You must understand that despite efforts to prevent rejection,
it may still occur. Generally, rejection is treatable with medication
and usually does not lead to loss of the kidney. However, for some
patients, one or more rejection episodes or complete failure of
a transplanted kidney can occur. It helps to understand just why
your body might want to reject a transplanted kidney.
Your body's immune system protects you from infection by recognizing
certain foreign bodies, like bacteria and viruses, and destroying
them. Unfortunately, the immune system sees your new kidney as a
foreign substance also. To prevent rejection, you must take anti-rejection
medications, as prescribed, for the rest of your kidney's life.
In spite of all precautions, rejection can occur. Up to 20% of
all kidney transplant patients will have at least one rejection
episode, most of which can be successfully controlled with changes
in immunosuppressive medications.
For Detailed Dossier on
Dialysis & Kidney Transplant, please write to us at
mktg@mediescapes.com
|