What is kidney transplant?
Kidney transplant is a procedure that deals with the organ replacement of the patient because the patient has reached the end stage of renal disease. There are two kinds of treatment present when there is kidney failure this: dialysis and transplant. A successful kidney transplant would lead to a much simpler life in terms of strength and greater freedom in diets.

How many kinds of transplants are there?

1. 1. From a person alive: a living person might also give you I his/her kidney. He or she might be a total stranger, or someone known or an acquaintance to you, who would like to donate one of his kidneys to you.
2. 2. From a deceased person: a person who is dead might want to donate his kidney to someone. Hence, such cases are possible if there are no kidney donations from anyone alive or close.

What is the cost of the procedure?
The procedure of kidney transplant would cost around 16,500 USD

What does the transplant operation involve?
The process of transplantation includes surgically opening the lower abdomen in a person’s body and replacing it another kidney. The blood vessels of the new kidney are connected to the old blood vessels. The surgery takes about 4 hours.

What are the Causes of end stage kidney disease?

• Diabetes – These patients have a continuously high blood sugar. This high blood sugar can damage the filters in the kidneys, leading to long-term kidney damage and finally kidney failure. This is called diabetic nephropathy.
• High blood pressure or hypertension – This is another common cause of kidney disease and failure. High blood pressure in the tiny blood vessels to the kidney leads to damage and prevents the filtering process from working properly.
• Blockages in the arteries that bring blood to the kidneys over time called renal artery stenosis is another cause of end stage renal disease
• Another condition is called polycystic kidney disease which is an inherited condition. There are several large cysts or hollow spaces formed within the kidney that make its normal functioning difficult.
• There may be congenital problems in development of kidneys. This occurs since before birth and manifests when over 90% of the kidney function is compromised.
• Disease of the immunity such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in which the immune system of the body fails to recognise the kidney as its own and attacks it thinking it to be a foreign object.

End stage kidney disease needs treatment to prevent life threatening consequences of the waste product build up leading to coma and death. In these situations, dialysis is an option. A device is used to filter the blood as it flows through it and the filtered blood is then injected back into the body. This is a time consuming, expensive procedure and is associated with a myriad of side effects and risks of infection etc. Kidney transplant, if possible, is usually the preferred option because it is much less inconvenient than having dialysis.

When can a kidney transplant take place?
A kidney transplant may be performed regardless of age of the recipient (patient who requires the kidney) provided they have a general health status that can withstand the major operation, there is a good chance of transplant success and the person is aware and willing to comply with taking immuno-suppressant medications after the transplant to prevent rejection of the new organ by the body's immune system.

Who cannot use a kidney transplant?
Patients in whom kidney transplant cannot be performed include:

• those with a widespread cancer
• those with an active infection
• those with liver or heart disease
• those with AIDS

What is the success rate?
The success rate of a live donor transplant is 90-95%. Whereas, the transplants from deceased donor is 85-90%.

What are the complications of the procedure?
Kidney transplant surgery carries a risk of significant complications, including:

• Blood clots
• Bleeding
• Leaking from or blockage of the tube (ureter) that links the kidney to the bladder
• Infection
• Failure of the donated kidney
• Rejection of the donated kidney
• An infection or cancer that can be transmitted with the donated kidney
• Death, heart attack and stroke