Hospital Information

Several patients have an assumption that if they are old they cannot get a kidney transplant, but if you are otherwise healthy, age is not a factor in determining your transplant eligibility. However, there can be other factors that may prevent patients from getting a kidney transplant if:

• Current life expectancy is less than 5 years
• Recent cancer (other than most skin cancers)
• Untreatable heart disease/ psychiatric illness
• Missing dialysis appointments or signing off the machine early
• Active substance abuse (alcohol or drugs)
• Lack of health insurance or Medicare/ Medicaid coverage

Kidney for a transplant may come from a person who has died (a deceased donor) or from a healthy living person who can be a family member, a friend who donates a kidney (a living donor). The benefit of living donor transplant is that the recipient will have a kidney immediately available to them. There is no waiting list. The surgery can take place while the recipient is relatively stable and is done as an elective procedure. This allows for surgery to occur in a healthier recipient who is expected to have better surgical outcomes.

According to Indian transplant act, a living donor can only be the recipient’s first degree blood relative, i.e. mother, father, brother, sister or spouse on emotional ground. All kidney transplant patients personally arrange their legal donor.

A living donor transplant happens faster if the living donor is available within one year; however, with a deceased donor transplant several patients have to wait for 3-5 years until a kidney is available is from a deceased donor.

Yes. Living donor transplants last longer than deceased donor transplants because a living donor kidney is removed from a healthy donor and transplanted.

Many variables are considered when evaluating a possible living donor. Living donors must be over 18 years of age, healthy, free of kidney disease and have normal blood pressure. The best matches come from full siblings (brothers or sisters). Areas of evaluation include the following.

• Blood group (A, B, O) compatibility of donor and recipient.
• Tissue typing: Once the donor’s blood group matches with the patient’s blood group, tissue typing is advised. Both the recipient and donors blood is tested HLA – A, B, & DR. Generally, 50% match is accepted. For spouse donor, even lower match is acceptable.
• We have got an experience of performing ABO incompatible kidney transplant. Even if blood group of donor & recipients are not matching, then also transplant can be done. In modern era with the availability of plasmapheresis, adsorption filters and few special drugs, it can be made possible with comparable results.

No. In case the transplant does not work the recipient can start or resume dialysis or pursue another transplant.

Yes. Patients who have a transplant done live longer than the patients who stay on dialysis. The transplanted kidney works whole day to remove total waste from the body. Dialysis removes little amount of waste only when the dialysis machine works.

It is true that getting a kidney transplant is better than having dialysis as there are chances of a higher survival. You can experience:

• Excessive bleeding
• Clotting of blood
• Rejection/failure of donor kidney
• Risk of severe infections from the donated kidney

Excessive weight gain immediately after a transplant can be dangerous. It can lead to problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes. You need to be careful in choosing your diet and consume:

• High-fiber foods rather than fried foods
• Initially, you must consume rich sources of protein like eggs (avoid raw or uncooked eggs), chicken, and low fat dairy products.
• At least 8 to 10 glasses of water. Refrain from having any calorie drinks, beverages or canned soups.
• You should try to use olive oil instead of saturated fats like butter.