Procedure/Inpatient Stay
Technical aspects
The surgical procedure for kidney transplantation has been perfected over many years. The kidney will be placed on the right or lower left side of your abdomen and the surgery will take between 2 and 4 hours.
The artery and vein of the transplanted kidney will be connected to arteries and veins in your pelvis. The ureter (collecting the urine from the kidney) will be connected to the bladder. In some situations it will be connected directly to your own ureter. The skin incision will be about 20 cm long
The artery and vein of the kidney are connected to the artery and vein of the pelvis (Iliac artery and vein). The ureter is connected to the bladder. The muscle layer of the bladder is closed on top of this connection to prevent a reflux into the bladder.
In general, it is not necessary to have your own kidneys removed. However, there may be situations in which you will benefit from the removal of your kidneys. This should be discussed on an individual basis with your nephrologist or surgeon.
Hospital Stay
Following the completion of the surgery, you will be taken to a special floor with personnel experienced in kidney transplantation. In some situations, or with additional diseases, you may benefit from a short-term stay on an intensive care unit (ICU). We are happy to discuss this with you in detail. Usually you will be in the hospital for 5 – 7 days. Most likely, you will be back to your normal exercise level in about 4 weeks. We recommend that you do not operate a vehicle for 4 weeks after the transplantation.
Potential complications
Complications, although rare, can occur during or after surgery. These include:
This is a rare, however, severe complication. Blood flow into the kidney can discontinue. We follow this event very closely. If your kidney does not produce urine immediately we will perform an ultrasound of the kidney every day to make sure that there are no clots that have formed.
We try to avoid this complication by stenting the ureter. The stent will remain for 6 weeks after the transplantation to assure that the connection of the ureter to the bladder is well healed. In addition, you will have a foley catheter in your bladder after the surgery: This will make sure that your bladder is decompressed and that the connection between the ureter and the bladder will heal well. Recent scientific reports have shown that those measurements will reduce the risk for a leak.
Complications that can happen after any surgery can also happen after a kidney transplantation. They are rare and include:
- Bleeding from the wound side
- Local (e.g. skin) and systemic (e.g. urine or lung) infections
- Thrombosis located in the area of your lower extremities. The risk of this complication can be greatly reduced if you get up and walk around as soon as possible after surgery.
Post Transplant
You will receive detailed discharge instructions specific to you, from your nurse and physicians before leaving the hospital. We have included some general information here.
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