The kidneys are responsible for removing waste products from the blood and expelling them from the body via urine. In addition to this, they help keep the fluid and electrolyte balance in your body. If your kidneys stop functioning properly, waste will accumulate in your body, which may cause you to get extremely ill.

Dialysis is a therapy that is often given to people whose kidneys have become dysfunctional. This therapy uses mechanical filtration to remove waste that naturally accumulates in the circulation as kidney function declines.

If a person’s kidney or kidneys have failed, there is a possibility that they might benefit from a kidney transplant. During this surgical surgery, one or both of a patient’s kidneys are surgically removed and replaced with donor kidneys obtained from either a living or recently dead donor.

• Kidney transplant patients generally live longer than those on dialysis.
• Kidneys from living donors typically last longer and function better than those from deceased donors.
• The one-year survival rate for kidney transplant recipients is around 95%, and 85% after five years.
• Transplant recipients must take lifelong immunosuppressive drugs to prevent kidney rejection.
• Paired kidney donation programs allow incompatible donor pairs to swap kidneys, increasing transplant chances.
• Surgeons may transplant both kidneys from a deceased donor to a single recipient if needed for optimal function.
• Patients with a suitable living donor can receive a kidney transplant before starting dialysis, improving outcomes.

In transplantation surgery, the surgeon replaces the person’s kidney with the donor’s kidney. In spite of the fact that you are born with two kidneys, it is possible to live a healthy life with just one kidney working properly.

Following the transplant, you need to take drugs that suppress the immune system in order to prevent your body’s immune system from rejecting the new organ.

Dialysis and kidney transplants each have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. However, studies have shown that those who undergo kidney transplants live longer than those who have done just dialysis. 

Dialysis is a continuous process, and the patient feels better till the time dialysis cleaned, blood remains clean. However, a kidney transplant may enable you to eliminate your lifelong reliance on a dialysis machine and the regimented treatment regimen that comes along with it.

Because of this, you may be able to lead a more physically demanding life.

But kidney transplants aren’t the right option for everyone who needs them. This covers persons who have infections that are currently active, as well as those who are very obese.

If both of your kidneys have completely ceased functioning, a kidney transplant can be a possibility for you. End-stage renal disease, often known as end-stage kidney disease, is the medical term for this ailment (ESKD). If you get to this stage, your physician will most likely suggest that you start dialysis.

Your doctor could also consider the transplantation option in addition to starting you on dialysis, the possibility of receiving a kidney transplant, and whether they believe you would be a suitable candidate for one.

To be a suitable candidate for a transplant, you’ll need to have a level of health that allows you to undergo major surgery and tolerably follow a stringent, lifetime pharmaceutical regimen following the operation.

Besides this, you must be ready, willing, and able to carry out all the recommendations made by your physician and consistently take your prescribed drugs.

You may have a living donor from your family. It would be the best circumstance if a member of your immediate family may offer to donate a kidney to you. Medically, the body is able to operate normally with only one healthy kidney.

Therefore, a member of your family with two healthy kidneys may decide to give you one of them as a donation.

You may organize a planned donation if the blood and tissues of a member of your family are compatible with your own blood and tissues. A kidney transplant from a member of one’s own family is a viable possibility.

It lessens the likelihood that your body will reject the kidney, and it permits you to avoid the multiyear wait that is often required to get a kidney from a donor who has passed away.

If you don’t have a kidney donation from your family then you would be put on a waiting list. This would be via the organization “The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network” (OPTN). The average wait time for an organ from a donor who has passed away is over five years.

“Cadaver donors” is another name for donors who have passed away. These are individuals who have passed away, most often as a consequence of a traumatic event as opposed to a terminal illness. The decision to donate the donor’s organs and tissues was made by either the donor themselves or by the donor’s family.

Your body has a greater chance of rejecting a kidney that was donated by someone who is not related to you. On the other hand, if you do not have a living relative or friend who is willing or able to donate a kidney to you, a cadaver organ is a fantastic choice to consider.

Before you go through transplant surgery you have had blood tests done. These tests identify both your blood type (A, B, AB, or O) and your human leukocyte antigen (HLA).

The HLA system comprises a set of antigens that are found on the surface of your white blood cells. Antigens handle your body’s immunological response. If the HLA types of the recipient and donor are compatible, there is a better chance that the kidney will not be rejected by the recipient’s body. 

Each individual has six antigens, with three coming from each of their biological parents. The pairing depends on the number of identical antigens you and your donor have. The greater the number of identical antigens you possess,  the better your chances are of having a successful transplant.

When a suitable donor has been located, you will need to undergo a second test to ensure that your antibodies will not be harmful to the organ that is being donated. This is accomplished by combining a minute quantity of your blood with the blood of the donor.

In the event that your blood produces antibodies in reaction to the blood of the donor, the transplant cannot be performed.

A “negative crossmatch” is said to be present when there is no antibody reactivity seen in the blood of the patient.

This indicates that the transplant can go on as planned.

In the event that you will be getting a kidney from a live donor, your physician will be able to organize the transplant in advance. However, if you are looking for a dead donor who is an excellent match for your tissue type, you will need to be prepared to hurry to the hospital at a moment’s notice in the event that a donor is found.

After you have checked in at the transplant facility, the antibody test will need a sample of your blood to be taken from your veins. Fortunately, if the crossmatch comes back negative, your doctor will give you the all-clear indication to undergo surgery.

A kidney transplant requires the patient to be sedated through anesthesia during the procedure. An intravenous (IV) line is placed in your hand or arm, and the anesthesia will be delivered into your body via the IV.

After you have been sedated, the surgeon creates an incision in your belly and inserts the donor kidney while you are under general anesthesia. The arteries and veins that come from the kidney are connected to your own arteries and veins at this point. This will start the process of blood flowing through the new kidney that was just implanted.

In addition, your ureter from the new kidney will be attached to your bladder. The tube in your body that links your kidney to your bladder is called the ureter.

Your original kidneys will remain in your body until they are the source of a problem for you, such as high blood pressure or an infection, in which case your doctor will remove them.

After surgery, your doctor will continue to keep an eye on your vital signs. Until they are satisfied with your stable condition you will be confined to special care units. It is quite possible that you would be kept in the hospital for up to a week after surgery, even if you have no discomfort following the transplant.

It is possible that your replacement kidney may begin to remove waste from the body immediately, or it is possible that it could take up to a few weeks for it to start operating normally. Donated kidneys from family members often begin functioning more rapidly than kidneys from unrelated donors or donors who have passed away.

During the first stages of your recovery, you may anticipate feeling a great lot of discomfort and suffering close to the location where the incision was made. In addition to this, you will need to follow a regimen of immunosuppressant medication. This would prevent your body from rejecting the newly donated kidney.

You will need to follow the dosage instructions that come with your immunosuppressant medication. Your physician will also prescribe additional medications to lower the likelihood of you contracting an infection. Finally, you will need to keep a close eye on yourself for any signs that could indicate that your body has begun to reject the kidney. These include aches, swelling, and symptoms similar to those of the flu.

Following surgery, you should have follow-up appointments with your physician every one to two weeks for the first one to two months. It might take up to six months for you to fully recover.

The possibility that your body would reject the new kidney is the most significant danger associated with a transplant. On the other hand, it is very unlikely that your body would reject the kidney that has been selected after all tests.

Notify your transplant surgeon as soon as possible if you have any unusual pain at the incision site or if you detect a difference in the volume of urine that you produce. In the event that your body rejects the new kidney, you will be able to begin dialysis. Following another evaluation, you could be placed back on the waiting list for another kidney.

The transplantation advancement has brought a ray of hope to patients whose organs fail to work. It is possible that you may lead an almost completely healthy life. Still, there are chances that the transplanted organ may not work as expected. 

After the transplant, the immunosuppressant medications help in adjusting the transplanted part.  These medicines may cause you to have some unpleasant side effects.

These may include a weight increase, a loss of bone mass, and a growth spurt in hair production or acne. There could be a greater likelihood of developing certain skin cancers as well as lymphomas that are not Hodgkin’s.

These are some usual side effects that are frequently observed. At the same time, you may anticipate and be mentally ready for any type of problem at any time. Discuss the possibility of developing these side effects with your primary care physician.