SEKTC

What is a “preemptive” or “early” transplant? 

Getting a transplant before you need to start dialysis is called a preemptive transplant. It allows you to avoid dialysis altogether. Getting a transplant not long after kidneys fail (but with some time on dialysis) is referred to as an early transplant. Both have benefits. 

Who can get a kidney transplant? 

• Kidney patients of all ages—from children to seniors—are able to consider a transplant. For most people, getting a transplant can be a good treatment choice. 
• Every person being considered for transplant will complete a full medical and psychosocial evaluation at a transplant center to make sure they are a good candidate. The evaluation helps find any problems, so they can be corrected before transplant. You must be healthy enough to have the operation. You must also be free from cancer and infection. 

How will I pay for a transplant? 

Medicare covers about 80% of the costs associated with an evaluation, transplant operation, follow-up care, and anti-rejection medicines. Private insurance through your job and state insurance programs may also cover some costs. However, your post-transplant expenses may only be covered for a few years. It’s important to discuss insurance coverage with your social worker and the transplant financial coordinator, who can answer your questions or direct you to others who can help. Click here to learn more about insurance and transplant. 

How do I start the process of getting a kidney transplant? 

Ask your healthcare provider to refer you to a transplant center for an evaluation, or contact a transplant center in your area. Any kidney patient can ask for an evaluation, with or without a referral from their doctor. 

How does the evaluation process work? 

Medical professionals will first give you a complete physical exam, review your health records, and order a series of tests and X-rays to learn about your overall health. Everything that can affect how well you can handle a transplant will be checked. If someone you know would like to donate a kidney to you, that person will also need to go through a screening evaluation to find out if he or she is healthy enough to donate. 

What happens during kidney transplant surgery? 

The operation to place a donated kidney takes about four hours. The donated kidney is placed into your lower abdomen (belly), where it’s easiest to connect it to your important blood vessels and bladder. Your own kidneys generally aren’t taken out when you get a transplant. The surgeon leaves them where they are unless there is a medical reason to remove them. After surgery patients will be sore but should be out of bed in two days or less and home from the hospital within a week. Kidney’s from living donors work fairly quickly while a kidney from a deceased donor can take longer to work (two to four weeks or more). This is called “delayed graft function” which may cause patients to undergo dialysis until the kidney begins to work. After surgery, you will be taught about the medications that need to be taken, their side effects, and any diet changes after transplant.  

What are anti-rejection medicines? 

To stop your body from attacking or rejecting the donated kidney, you will have to take medicines to keep your immune system less active (called anti-rejection medicines or immunosuppressant medicines). You’ll need to take them as long as your new kidney is working. Without them, your immune system would see the donated kidney as “foreign,” and would attack and destroy it. Anti-rejection medicines can have some side effects although for most people side effects are usually manageable. Besides immunosuppressive medicines, you will take other medicines to protect you from infection.  

Where do donated kidneys come from? 

A donated kidney may come from someone who died and donated a healthy kidney, called a deceased donor. Donated kidneys also can come from a living donor. This person may be a blood relative (like a brother or sister) or a non-blood relative (like a husband or wife). They can also come from a friend or even a stranger. You do not need to have the same blood type as your donor to get a kidney if you are in a paired exchange program. Visit the Programs for Donor/Recipient Pairs with Incompatible Blood Types page to learn more about paired exchange programs. Kidneys from living or deceased donors both work well and can be good options, but kidneys from a living donor may last longer and are more likely to start working right away than a kidney from a deceased donor