Kidney transplant information: 20 top tips and FAQs - Chronic Kidney Disease Explained

Kidney transplant information: 20 top tips and frequently-asked questions (FAQs)

In this article we will describe 20 top tips and FAQs about kidney transplants.

1. A successful transplant

Can come from a person who has died; or from a living partner, relative or friend
Can come from an altruistic donor (living organ donation to a stranger)
Usually makes life with ESRF (kidney failure) much better
Can fail, but 70% last over 10 years.

2. Don’t expect a transplant

Automatically when you are on dialysis, you may not be fit enough
To solve all your problems – there are complications
To arrive right away – there is a long wait for some people
Transplant success rates are not 100% and they are not for all patients having dialysis.

3. What is a kidney transplant, and will it cure kidney failure?

A kidney transplant is someone else’s kidney put inside the body by a surgeon. A successful kidney transplant means that dialysis is no longer needed
The original kidneys are left in place
However, it is not a complete cure for all the problems of kidney failure
This is because it is necessary to take drugs to keep the transplant working, and these have side effects
Transplantation, like any surgery, is not 100% successful and can be associated with a number of complications (see below).

4. Where is a kidney transplant placed?

The normal position for a transplant is low down in the abdomen, well away from the position of normal kidneys

The transplant sits under the muscle and skin, and can be felt if you press hard, just above the pelvic brim – the pelvic brim is the bone you can feel just above the front pocket on a pair of trousers.

5. Can everyone on dialysis have a kidney transplant?

No. Only about one half (50%) of people starting dialysis are suitable for a kidney transplant
Reasons for being unfit are most commonly heart disease, risk of serious infection after a transplant or previous cancer
These problems all lead to a high risk of death after transplantation
Few people over the age of 70 years are fit for a transplant.

6. Can a kidney transplant come from a relative, partner or friend?

Yes. It is possible to have a kidney from a relative or partner or a friend
It is most important that the potential donor is extremely fit and has no reservations about going through with kidney donation
Also, of course, the recipient must be happy with the idea of putting someone else through the stress of kidney donation.

7. How do people who have died donate kidneys?

Taking a kidney from someone who has died is handled with respect by experienced team of surgeons
It is important to realise that when someone has died, donation of their organs for transplantation is generally an enormous consolation to the family of the deceased
Most people who die are not suitable to be kidney donors because of infection, cancer or old age
Most transplant kidneys come from people who have had strokes (bleed into the brain) or a car crash and are transferred to a hospital intensive care unit and die whilst attached to a ventilator (breathing) machine.

8. How are kidneys allocated from deceased (dead) donors?

When the kidneys from a dead person become available for transplantation, they are allocated so that they have the best chance of long term success
Research has shown that the best results are achieved by allocating kidneys to dialysis patients with the same blood group and with a good ’tissue type’ match
There is a national system for kidney allocation and kidneys are sent all over the country so that they can be given to the most suitable recipients.

9. How long is the wait for a kidney?

There is a shortage of kidneys for transplantation
At present, on average most people wait 3 years after going on the waiting list
The ‘waiting list’ is not like a queue (‘first in, first out’). So, if someone has a rare tissue type or blood group, the chances of getting a transplant are reduced.

10. What details are given about the kidney donor?

When a kidney comes from someone who has died, it is most important to prevent any extra suffering to the donor’s family
Therefore the transplant patient will usually be told very few details about the kidney donor
Of course transplant patients feel grateful for the gift they have received and often a letter of thanks or a Christmas card is sent from the recipient to the donor family.

11. How long does the transplant operation take?

A kidney transplant operation takes about 3 hours. The patient is usually away from the ward for 6-7 hours due to anaesthetic time and recover time
After the operation, there are a number of tubes in the neck, arm, side and bladder to help give fluids and drugs and to monitor the urine output
It is usually possible to sit out of bed the day after a transplant, to walk two or three days after.

How long will I be in hospital for?

If you’re receiving a kidney from a living donor – the usual stay is 4 to 6 days
If you’re receiving a kidney from a deceased donor – most patients stay in hospital for 6 to 10 days.

12. Is kidney transplantation psychologically stressful?

Yes. It can be stressful waiting for a transplant. When a kidney does come up it is common to be very excited and quite frightened
The first three months after the transplant can also be hard going. Frequent clinic visits (initially three times a week) are needed and many patients have to be readmitted into hospital for tests or extra treatment
In the longer term, though, someone with a successful transplant only has to visit hospital once six months or so

13. What are the complications of transplantation?

Transplantation has a number of possible complications and there is also a small risk of dying after a kidney transplant.

The other main complications of transplantation are:

Problems with the transplant kidney itself, such as rejection (discussed below), or problems with the blood supply or urine drainage
Infections, such as urinary tract infection (UTI) or pneumonia
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels
Cancer, which is most commonly a small skin cancer. Lymphoma (a blood cancer) occurs in 2% of patients.

14. What is kidney transplant rejection?

The body thinks someone else’s kidney is an invader, like a germ, and fights it off in the same way it would fight off an infection. This is called rejection
About a third of patients get some rejection in the first few weeks after a transplant. Fortunately this usually shows up as only a slight change in the blood results, and can be treated effectively with extra drugs
The chances of losing a kidney from rejection in the first few weeks after a transplant are about 5% (one in twenty).

15. What drugs are needed after a transplant?

Transplant patients usually take a lot of drugs, and unfortunately it is necessary to take them all the time – the transplant will reject and fail if the drugs are all stopped. There are three groups of drugs:

Anti-rejection drugs – most hospitals use three different drugs together to prevent
rejection – often tacrolimus, mycophenolate and prednisolone. This is sometimes called ‘triple therapy’
Drugs to prevent complications of the anti-rejection drugs – e.g. valganciclovir to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, and septrin to prevent pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
Drugs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

16. How common is diabetes after a kidney transplant?

Very, upto 30% of patients develop diabetes after a kidney transplant. It usually occurs as a side effect of the drugs taken to prevent rejection of the transplant
Diabetes can become harder to control in people who had the disease before their transplant.

17. Are there sexual problems after a transplant, and is it possible to have children?

Yes/no. A successful transplant usually means that sexual function improves
And it is easier to have children. This is particularly important for women as it is very unusual to have a baby whilst on dialysis
It is not recommended that a woman gets pregnant in the first year after a transplant.

18. Are work and a normal life possible after a transplant?

Most people can resume a nearly normal life after a transplant, although some conditions that caused kidney failure in the first place (such as diabetes) will of course not be cured
It is usually recommended that people plan for 3 months off work after a transplant, though some can go back sooner.

19. How long does a transplant last?

After one year, 90% (nine out of ten) transplants are functioning, after five years, about 70% (seven out of ten); and after 10 years only 60% (six out of ten)
Kidneys fail most commonly because of chronic (long-term) rejection – also called transplant glomerulopathy – that develops slowly over several years
Some transplants fail because of failure to take the anti-rejection drugs regularly, or to attend clinic appointments.

20. Is it possible to have another transplant if the first one fails?

Most people can go back on the transplant list for a second transplant, or have a kidney from a family member
It is necessary to check again that it is safe to have a transplant, especially from the point of view of the heart
It may be more difficult to find a second kidney, because a better tissue type match may be needed.

Summary

We have described 20 top tips and FAQs about kidney transplants. We hope it has been helpful.

Other resource

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about kidney transplants

This is a shorter article with 10 more questions

Last Reviewed on 23 May 2024