Transplant Institute
The Transplant Institute, part of the Department of Surgery, offers nationally recognized patient care, research programs, and education and training opportunities.
Kidney Transplant Surgery: What to Expect
The first stop on the road to life with a new kidney
Contact Us
Your Kidney Transplant Surgery
Once you get the call that a kidney is available, things move quickly. When you arrive at the hospital, we conduct some blood work and assess you. Then, you will be moved to the operating room and will receive general anesthesia so you won’t be awake during the procedure. Here’s what will happen:
- Your surgeon will make an 8- to 10-inch-long incision in your lower abdomen. The incision is shaped like a hockey stick and may be on either your right or left side.
- Usually, your original kidneys will remain in place. However, in certain situations, the surgeon may remove an existing kidney. This might be the case, for example, if you have polycystic kidney disease.
- The surgeon sews the kidney into the artery and the vein that supply blood to your leg or lower abdomen.
- Next, the surgeon connects the donor kidney’s ureter — the tube that carries urine — to your bladder. Usually, the surgeon places a thin rubber tube (called a stent) into the ureter to hold it open and protect the ureter until it heals. The stent causes you no discomfort and is only temporary. A doctor who specializes in urology will remove the stent four or five weeks after surgery.
- The surgery team will close your incision with staples or sutures and cover the area with a gauze dressing.
- A urinary catheter (Foley catheter) is placed in your bladder. This stays in place for at least 3 days after the operation.
From beginning to end, kidney transplant surgery takes about two to four hours.
Post-Anesthesia Care
Right after your operation, you go to our post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) where doctors and nurses monitor you very closely. Your surgeon will let your family know how you’re doing during this time.
If you need to be watched more closely, which is unlikely, you go to our surgical intensive care unit (SICU) for specialized post-surgery care.
You may spend about four to 12 hours in the PACU. Once you’re stable, we move you to the transplant, inpatient recovery unit, for after-kidney-transplant care.
