If you or a loved one is preparing for surgery, understanding what happens during a kidney transplant can help ease anxiety and set clear expectations. The process is a carefully coordinated, highly precise surgical procedure performed by a specialized team.
The operation begins with general anesthesia, ensuring you remain completely asleep and pain-free throughout. Interestingly, surgeons usually do not remove your original failing kidneys unless they are causing severe infection, high blood pressure, or pain. Instead, the new donor kidney is placed in your lower abdomen, near the groin area, where it can easily connect to your body's circulatory and urinary systems.
The surgical team carefully connects the blood vessels of the new kidney to your iliac blood vessels, allowing blood to flow through it. Next, the ureter (the tube that carries urine) from the donor kidney is attached directly to your bladder. In many cases, a healthy donor kidney begins filtering blood and producing urine almost immediately on the operating table. The entire procedure typically takes three to four hours. Once completed, you are moved to a recovery unit for close monitoring as your new organ begins its essential work.