Renal Transplant

Kidney transplantation refers to replacement of the failed kidneys with a working kidney from another person, called a donor. This one new kidney takes over the work of your two failed kidneys.

Kidney transplantation is not a complete cure, although many people who receive a kidney transplant are able to live much as they did before their kidneys failed. Renal transplantation improves the quality of life and increases life expectancy.

The new kidney inside your lower abdomen and connects the artery and vein of the new kidney to your artery and vein. Your blood flows through the new kidney, which makes urine, just like your own kidneys did when they were healthy. Unless they are causing infection or high blood pressure, your own kidneys are left in place.

In the year 2000, nearly 47,000 people in the United States were waiting for a kidney transplant. Because of a shortage of donor kidneys, each year only a small percentage of people who need a transplant actually receive a kidney. The wait for a donor kidney can take years. Successful transplantation is often enhanced if organs are matched between members of the same ethnic and racial group. A shortage of organs donated by minorities can contribute to longer waiting periods for transplants for minorities.