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Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant may be recommended for patients with kidney failure caused by:
· severe, uncontrollable high blood pressure (hypertension)
· infections
· diabetes mellitus
· congenital abnormalities of the kidneys
· other diseases which cause renal failure, such as autoimmune disease
Donor kidneys for a kidney transplant are usually obtained from either brain-dead organ donors, or from living relatives or friends of the recipient.
The first step of a kidney transplant is to make an incision to the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. The donor kidney is transplanted into the right lower pelvis of the recipient.
The new kidney is sutured into place. The vessels of the new kidney are connected to the vessels leading to the right leg (the iliac vessels), and the ureter is sutured to the bladder.
In most cases, the recipient's native kidneys are left in place, and the transplanted kidney performs all the functions that both kidneys perform in healthy people. Kidney transplant recipients are required to take immunosuppressive medications for the rest of the lives, to prevent immune rejection of the transplanted organ.
Learn more about kidney transplants and additional General Surgery procedures at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. One of the nation's preeminent academic medical centers, WFUBMC is an integrated health care system that operates 1,291 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds, outpatient services, and community health and information centers. The Medical Center's component institutions carry out a joint mission of patient care, education, research and community service. The partnership includes three major members: Wake Forest University Health Sciences, North Carolina Baptist Hospital, and Wake Forest University Physicians.
Copyright:
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
and North Carolina Baptist Hospital. All rights reserved.
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
(336) 716-2011 |
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