Kidney Transplant

As with all chronic diseases, patients usually go through a long and exhausting process in renal failure.Some of the patients are taken to the emergency room without realizing that their condition suddenly worsens overnight. Until then, they were not aware of the disorders that cause kidney failure or the presence of advanced complaints. Some patients are fortunate enough to be diagnosed early, the diagnosis of renal failure is made in the early period and thus they reach the stage of end-stage renal failure as late as possible thanks to the follow-up conducted by a nephrologist. Unfortunately, the process involves strict diets, high-dose medications, and is highly debilitating both physically and in morale. When they finally reach that final stage of no return, only one question remains: “What am I going to do now?”

Which Treatment Modality Should I Choose?

There are several options for patients with end-stage renal disease to remove toxic substances from their bodies and continue their lives.  These are peritoneal dialysis, in which a catheter is inserted into the abdomen and the patient can apply alone at home, hemodialysis in which they can undergo dialysis at a dialysis center for three days a week through the vascular access to their arms, and kidney transplantation.Currently, kidney transplantation is the most important option for suitable patients in terms of both providing a long life span and providing high quality of life. On the other hand, other methods are extremely important alternatives in patients who do not have kidney transplantation in the early stage. You should choose the most appropriate treatment method that can maintain the tasks performed by the kidney by talking to your nephrologist.

What is Kidney Transplant?

Kidney transplant is roughly described as the removal of a kidney from one person and transplantation to another.  The donor can be a cadaver donor or a living donor. In a kidney transplant with a cadaver donor, a transplant is made from a patient after brain death occurs. Every Turkish citizen with end-stage renal disease has the right to be included cadaver organ waiting list. In this case, the patient registers the surgery on the list of the transplant center he / she wants to have surgery. It is preferred that the transplant center is close to where the patient lives.  As a result of a series of complex calculations that include the age of the patient, the duration of dialysis, the histocompatibility of the patient with the organ to be taken, and the center where the organ originates, the National Coordination Center under the Ministry of Health determines whom the organ will be transplanted to, and the organ is delivered to the transplant center.

My relative wants to donate me a kidney. Can I receive it?

In a living donor kidney transplant, she applies to the transplant center with a relative who wants to donate a kidney to him / her. According to the laws of the Republic of Turkey, being a maximum 4th degree relative to donate one organ to a patient. If there is no kinship, the donor must enter a central ethics committee and must demonstrate a sincere relationship with the recipient. The donor and recipient are health screened for eligibility for kidney transplant. Living donor kidney transplantation can be applied to couples who are physically and mentally healthy.  You can apply to Florence Nightingale Hospital Kidney Transplant Center for free detailed information and examinations.

How is Kidney Transplant Surgery Performed?

In a living donor kidney transplant, the donor and the recipient are operated simultaneously. After the kidney removed from the donor, kidney is washed with special solutions and is transplanted to the recipient waiting in ready condition in the other room. The kidney would have been kept outside the body for 45-60 minutes in ice. In a kidney transplant with a cadaver donor, after the kidney is removed from the donor, it is washed with special solutions, put on ice and transferred to the center where the recipient is located. Tests and preparations can take an average of 8-12 hours. Even if the kidney is transported from another city, this period may take up to 24 hours.

In live donor transplants, donors leave the hospital within 2-3 days, and recipients in 5-6 days after the transplant. In transplants with cadaver donors, the duration of hospital stay is 7-10 days, but this process may be prolonged according to the functioning time of the implanted kidney.