Kidney Transplant | Cigna (2023)

FAQs

How long can a person with kidney transplant live? ›

A living donor kidney functions, on average, 12 to 20 years, and a deceased donor kidney from 8 to 12 years. Patients who get a kidney transplant before dialysis live an average of 10 to 15 years longer than if they stayed on dialysis.

Kidney transplant surgery carries a risk of significant complications, including: Blood clots and bleeding. Leaking from or blockage of the tube that links the kidney to the bladder (ureter) Infection.

A successful kidney transplant may allow you to live longer and to live the kind of life you were living before you got kidney disease. For many patients, there are fewer limits on what you can eat and drink, though you should follow a heart-healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight to help your new kidney last.

94.88% success rate for deceased donor transplant

People who receive kidneys from living donors generally live longer than those who receive a kidney from a deceased donor. Kidneys from living donors tend to last longer than those from deceased donors.

Chronic Rejection

This is the most common reason that kidney transplants fail. It is the long-term damage done by the body's immune system for a lot of different reasons. It is important to realize that transplant patients have NO CONTROL over most of these causes of transplant failure.

For example, a 30-year-old on dialysis would have a life expectancy of 15 years. With a deceased kidney donor transplant (a kidney from someone who is brain-dead), life expectancy increases to 30 years. Best of all, a living donor kidney transplant increases life expectancy to 40 years.

Most people live normal, healthy lives with one kidney. However, it's important to stay as healthy as possible, and protect the only kidney you have.

The kidney transplant operation typically takes three hours. The surgical team will place the donor kidney through a small incision into the patient's pelvis, and delicately connect the vein, artery, and ureter. Typically, only one kidney is transplanted because only one kidney is needed to gain normal function.

Kidney transplantation is considered the treatment of choice for many people with severe chronic kidney disease because quality of life and survival (life expectancy) are often better than in people who are treated with dialysis.

During the early stages after a transplant, while you're on higher doses of immunosuppressant medicine, you should avoid eating foods that carry a high risk of food poisoning, including: unpasteurised cheese, milk or yoghurt. foods containing raw eggs (such as mayonnaise) undercooked or raw meats, fish and shellfish.

What is the age cut off for a kidney transplant? ›

Seniors Aren't Too Old to Get a Transplant

Many of the nation's transplant centers don't even have an upper age limit for kidney transplant recipients. Almost half of all Americans suffering from advanced kidney disease are older than 65 and the wait time for hopeful recipients age 65 and older is nearly 4 years.

Recovery tips: Transplant patients usually return to normal activities within four to eight weeks. It's important to avoid any heavy lifting during this recovery period. You can help your recovery and reduce the risk of complications by: Taking your medications as directed.

Infection. Minor infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), colds and flu, are common after kidney transplants. You can also get more serious infections, such as pneumonia and cytomegalovirus (CMV), which may require hospital treatment.

The world record: 56 years

On average, a transplanted kidney from a deceased donor lasts about 15 years. We now know that survival rates are significantly better for transplants from living donors and still better for transplants from related donors.

Can you live without kidneys? Because your kidneys are so important, you cannot live without them. But it is possible to live a perfectly healthy life with only one working kidney.

Organs are usually transplanted because the recipient's original organs are damaged and cannot function. The brain is the only organ in the human body that cannot be transplanted.

All medical services related to organ donation are submitted to the recipient's insurance. Your recipient's insurance typically covers all medical services related to your organ donation, including your evaluation, hospitalization, surgery, follow-up care and treatment of any surgical complications.

People who donate a kidney can live healthy lives with one healthy kidney. A person getting a transplant most often gets just 1 kidney. In rare situations, he or she may get 2 kidneys from a deceased donor. The diseased kidneys are usually left in place.

People can live normal lives with only one kidney. As long as the donor is evaluated thoroughly and cleared for donation, he or she can lead a normal life after the surgery. When the kidney is removed, the single normal kidney will increase in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney.

What causes kidney failure? High blood pressure and diabetes are the two most common causes of kidney failure. They can also become damaged from physical injury, diseases, or other disorders.

How do you improve kidney function? ›

Dialysis is usually required in the first 48 hours after surgery and will continue to be required on a regular basis. Patients with primary non-function have a renal biopsy that reveals irreversible damage. In most cases the transplanted kidney needs to be removed.

You may not be eligible to receive a kidney transplant due to: The presence of some other life-threatening disease or condition that would not improve with transplantation. This could include certain cancers, infections that cannot be treated or cured, or severe, uncorrectable heart disease.

Dialysis does some of the work of healthy kidneys, but it does not cure your kidney disease. You will need to have dialysis treatments for your whole life unless you are able to get a kidney transplant.

A 16-year-old boy received the kidney of his mother as living donor transplantation. Then in 1954, a milestone was made with the first long-term successful kidney transplantation by Joseph Murray: the transplantation was done between monozygotic twins; the organ survived for 8 years.

Most kidney transplant recipients can expect to return to work or normal activities within 6 to 8 weeks after their kidney transplantation surgery. Before you leave the hospital, you will receive instructions on how to care for your new organ.

Conclusions. Recipients suffered from a higher level of depression and somatic concerns than donors before living kidney transplantation. Psychological problems like depression and anxiety can occur in both living kidney transplantation donors and recipients.

Your kidney transplant is more likely to work for longer if you keep to a healthy weight, exercise regularly, only drink alcohol in moderation and stop smoking. You may feel sore for a week or two after the operation. Your doctor will talk to you about pain management and medications you can take to relieve the pain.

Having a single kidney does not affect your life-span. One kidney can still provide up to 75 percent of normal kidney function.

After Surgery - In the Hospital

In rare cases, kidney transplant recipients will be transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for a brief period of observation. The patient will remain in the hospital for a total of about five to seven days following surgery.

Can kidney transplant lead to death? ›

Causes and Trend of One-Year Mortality

Of the 210,327 patients, 6,774 (3.2%) died within 1 year after receiving a kidney transplant; 756 (11.2%) patients' cause of death was reported as unknown, while 1,959 (28.9%) patients cause of death was missing (Table 2).

If your new kidney fails, you will need to go back on dialysis to live. You can also get evaluated for another kidney transplant. If you are healthy enough, you can have more than one kidney transplant.

Transplanted Organs Don't Last Forever

A transplanted kidney lasts on average 10 to 13 years if the organ came from a living donor and seven to nine years if it was from a deceased donor, according to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

How long does a transplanted kidney last? On average, a kidney from a living donor lasts about 15 to 20 years. Some will last longer; others might last less.

While both treatments have advantages and disadvantages, studies show that patients who have a successful kidney transplant live longer than patients treated with dialysis. * Also, many patients who have a transplant report having better quality of life compared to being on dialysis.

Living donation does not change life expectancy, and does not appear to increase the risk of kidney failure. In general, most people with a single normal kidney have few or no problems; however, you should always talk to your transplant team about the risks involved in donation.

Your belly and side will be sore for the first 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. You also may have some numbness around the cut (incision) the doctor made. You may feel tired while you are healing. It may take 3 to 6 weeks for your energy to fully return.

How much will it hurt? Everyone is different, but you could be in a lot of pain after the surgery. But it will get easier each day, and there are different types of pain relievers to make you feel better. Shortly after surgery, as your anesthesia wears off, you'll get pain medication through an IV into a vein.

Benefits of kidney transplant surgery

If you have a successful kidney transplant, you may live a longer life than you would have while on dialysis. You may also have fewer health complications and enjoy a better quality of life.

Long-Term/Medical Risks

Other complications that may occur in the long-term following surgery to donate a kidney include: Developing a disease that could affect the function of the remaining kidney such as: Diabetes. High blood pressure.