Transplantation

Kidney Transplantation –

Common Questions

Why will I need a kidney transplant?

When a person's kidneys fail, there are three treat–

ments available:

Haemodialysis

Peritoneal Dialysis

Kidney Transplant

Many patients feel that following a transplant their

quality of life is better than when they were on

dialysis. It can offer more freedom because they no

longer need to attend for dialysis, and there is no

real diet or fluid restriction.

However, there are some risk involved with a kid–

ney transplant. And although transplants can last

many years, there may be a time when you will

need dialysis again in the future.

This booklet provides a brief introduction to

transplantation, and encourages you to discuss

your options with your care team at the dialysis

centre.

How does a transplant work?

Kidney transplantation requires an operation to put

a healthy kidney from another person into your

body. This transplanted kidney will then do the

work of your damaged kidneys.

The kidney is placed into you lower abdomen, and

is joined to your artery and vein. The blood then

passes through the transplant and it starts to make

urine.

Are my old kidneys taken out?

Your own kidneys are left in unless they are

causing an infection, and other problems.

How do I get onto the transplant list?

If you wish to be considered for a transplant, you

will need to raise the matter with your consultant.

Your consultant will refer you to the transplant team

for assessment. This consists of appointments in

outpatients clinic and routine tests to see if you are

medically suitable. If it is considered that under–

going transplant surgery will be too high risk for

you to benefit from, this will be discussed with you

in outpatients. If you are considered suitable, your

name will be placed on a transplant waiting list for

a kidney that matches your blood group and tissue

type. This can happen just before you start dialysis

and at anytime once you are on dialysis.

If you want to discuss transplantation with

somebody first, please do not hesitate to ask you

care team or contact the transplant team who will

be able to supply you with more information and

answer queries that you may have.

How long does somebody wait for a kidney

transplant?

If you are able to have a live transplant, the

different tests will have to be completed before a

day can be decided on for the operation.

If you are waiting for a cadaveric kidney, it may

take time for a kidney to become available that is

suitable for you. It is very difficult to give you a time

for how long you may have to wait for a transplant.

Some people are fortunate and have a transplant

very quickly, others will spend longer on the waiting

list. Take time to think about what will happen when

you receive a call for a transplant and then remain

prepared and positive but get on with your life in

the meantime.

How long will a transplanted kidney last?

We hope that every transplanted kidney will work

for a long time but there can be no guarantees.

Very occasionally, kidneys will not start to function

or will only function for a short while. This is

obviously very disappointing and can be difficult to

cope with at the time but if this should occur there

will be support for you from the transplant team. If

you receive a kidney that does eventually fail then

you will need to return to dialysis. It will be

possible, should you want to, to go back on the

waiting list for a second kidney.

Are there any complications?

As with any operation there are some risks associ–

ated with transplantation, but your team will make

sure that you are fit enough for the operation.

However, there are some special complications

that you need to be aware of.

There is always a risk that your body will reject the

transplant. It is very difficult to say how long your

transplant will last, but you can do a great deal to

help reduce the risk by taking all the medication

that is prescribed. This will include special drugs

called immunosuppressants, that help to prevent

your body rejecting the transplant.

These drugs can increase the risk of you having

colds and infections, so it is important that you

look after yourself to reduce this risk. Some of the

drugs can change you appearance. Your face may

get fuller; you may gain weight or develop acne or

facial hair.

What happens next?

When you have discussed with your care team

about whether you are able to have a transplant,

and you wish to be considered, you will be seen be

fully assessed by your Nephrologist and a member

of the Transplant team.

This will include

taking blood to check you blood group and tissue

typing. These are important to ensure a good

match with the donor

giving you a full assessment to ensure that you

are fit enough for an operation

making sure that you and your family understand

all the issues about transplantation

giving you the opportunity to learn more about

transplantation

Is it possible to catch any illnesses from a

transplanted kidney?

It is not possible to guarantee that a person will not

develop an illness passed on to them from a

transplanted organ. However, in much the same

way as blood donors are screened, all donated

organs and the people they come from are

checked for the presence of certain diseases.

All donors have their medical and social history

checked to see if they are in a high risk category

for certain diseases, to ensure that they do not

have cancer and tests are made for hepatitis,

cytomegalovirus (CMV), HIV - the AIDS virus - as

well as syphillis and toxoplasmosis.

So what next?

Now you have read through this a nurse or doctor

will come back to answer any other questions you

might have. Remember, you can ask questions at

any time.

There will be other booklets for you to read later

that will include the following topics:

Haemodialysis – a brief introduction

How does haemodialysis work?

Looking after your vascular access

Managing you fluid intake

The dialysis diet

Common drugs used on dialysis

Increasing your independence

We hope that this will help you to adapt to dialysis,

helping you to feel better.

Remember, you can ask questions about your

treatment at any time.

Transplantation

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Transcript of Transplantation