Last Updated on March 10, 2024 by admin
If you are on dialysis or have chronic renal disease, kidney transplantation may give you a new chance to live a longer, more active life. Although it is not a cure, a kidney transplant is a treatment for kidney failure. To ensure that your immune system does not reject the replacement kidney, you must take medicine daily.
Additionally, you will require regular visits to your doctor. Dialysis is ineffective at filtering wastes and maintaining your health, and a functioning transplanted kidney does this well. But not everyone should get a kidney transplant. Your doctor can advise against having a transplant based of your health condition. Here will look at how the kidney transplant process works:
What is a Kidney Transplant?
A kidney transplant is a procedure to exchange a damaged kidney for a healthy kidney from a donor. The kidney can be obtained from either a living or a deceased donor. If they are a suitable match, family members or other individuals may be able to donate one of their kidneys. Donors of kidneys can maintain their health with just one healthy kidney.
One kidney is most frequently given to a transplant patient. They may, in extraordinary cases, receive two kidneys from a deceased donor. The damaged kidneys are typically not removed. The transplanted kidney is placed in the lower belly on the front side of the body.
What Does Kidney Transplant Surgery Involve?
One kidney is only transplanted during surgery since you only need one functioning kidney to be healthy. The new donor kidney will often be implanted in a different abdomen region, leaving your two natural kidneys in place.
The donor kidney’s ureter will next be connected to your bladder. Your replacement kidney will take over the functions of filtering your blood and producing urine, just as your kidneys did before you developed kidney disease if the kidney transplant procedure is successful.
What are the kidney transplant requirements?
Each hospital has its requirements for who can receive a kidney transplant. However, in general, candidates should possess the following:
- Being on dialysis and having end-stage renal failure
- A chronic renal disease that is nearing the point where dialysis is required
- Thorough awareness of postoperative care instructions.
How do You Prepare for a Kidney Transplant?
You must be added to the United Network for Organ Sharing’s waiting list if you want to receive a kidney from a deceased organ donor. You must undergo extensive testing before being included on the transplant waiting list.
A kidney transplant team performs the evaluation process. A transplant surgeon, a transplant nephrologist who is a medical professional focused on treating kidney disorders, one or more transplant nurses, a social worker, and a psychiatrist or psychologist make up the team.
The evaluation includes:
- Mental health evaluation: Organ transplantation-related psychological and social concerns, such as stress, money problems, and support from family and close friends, are evaluated. These problems have a significant impact on how a transplant turns out. A living donor is subject to the same kind of evaluation.
- Blood tests: Blood tests are performed to increase the probability that the donated organ will not be rejected, to determine your priority on the donor list, and to help discover a good donor match.
- Diagnostic tests: You could undergo diagnostic tests to evaluate the condition of your kidneys and your general health. X-rays, ultrasounds, kidney biopsies, and dental examinations are a few of the possible testing. Women may undergo a mammogram, gynaecological assessment, and a Pap test.
Your eligibility for a kidney transplant will be determined by the transplant team after considering all the information from interviews, your medical history, physical examination, and testing.
You will be added to the UNOS list once approved as a transplant candidate. You will be informed when a donor organ becomes available and instructed to head to the hospital immediately.
A live-related kidney transplant may be carried out at a predetermined period if you receive a kidney from a living relative. To ensure that the donor is confident in their choice, a mental health evaluation will be conducted.
How the Transplant Process Works?
You will receive a call to come to the hospital for the transplant procedure once an organ becomes available. Your new kidney will be implanted during surgery close to your hip bone in your abdomen. Unless your natural kidneys are infected, bleeding, or painful, they are often left in place. The procedure takes about three hours.
You will be taken from the operating room to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), where a group of nurses and medical professionals will closely monitor your recovery. You can have a catheter for urine drainage in your bladder and drainage tubes in your nose. You will also have intravenous lines so that you can get oxygen to assist you in breathing and hydrating fluids. These tubes and lines will be taken out over the next few days, at which point you can start eating and getting out of bed to exercise. You will eventually be transferred to a regular room for ongoing observation.
Benefits of Kidney Transplant Surgery
A successful kidney transplant helps the patient to live longer and normal life. Additionally, you might experience fewer health issues and a higher standard of living. Benefits could consist of:
- Dialysis is not necessary
- Having greater energy
- Achieving improved all-around health
- Having fewer dietary constraints
Why Turkey is Best for Kidney Transplant Surgery?
Many people travel to Turkey each year for kidney transplants from around the nation and worldwide. Here, more than 15,000 of these procedures are carried out yearly. Also, kidney transplant cost in Turkey is affordable for all people. Turkey provides patients with the most excellent and professional care at every stage of the transplant process because of its highly skilled surgeons and state-of-the-art operating rooms.
Here are some reasons why Turkey is becoming one of the favorite medical tourism destinations:
- 90% success rate for complex surgeries
- Low price
- Experienced transplant surgeons
- The unique region of Turkey
- Infrastructure with better technology
Final Thoughts
A kidney transplant is necessary, so you must consider the best place for the transplant. Turkey is one of the best places to approach a kidney transplant. The above listed are the process you can consider in a kidney transplant.
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