Surgery Process For Our Kidney-Pancreas and Pancreas Transplant Patients
What to expect before, during, and after your surgical procedure.
Before
Before your kidney-pancreas or pancreas-only transplant surgery, your doctor may require additional tests and check your overall health. You will also receive specific individualized instructions about preparing for surgery.
When donor organs become available, your transplant surgeon will schedule the procedure.
Timing
How quickly you proceed to surgery will be determined by many factors, including the arrival of the donor kidney and pancreas, the time for crossmatch testing, and your need for dialysis or additional testing before surgery.
Surgical Procedure
The surgery time varies with each patient, but typically a kidney-pancreas transplant takes about four to six hours. Along with the transplant, your surgeon may place a temporary catheter in your bladder to drain the urine until your new kidney begins functioning. After the procedure, you will spend an hour or longer in the recovery care unit, followed by at least one night in the surgical intensive care unit before being returned to a room at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s specialized transplant unit.
Recovery
Most transplant patients are able to start eating and drinking on the first day after surgery. You will be assisted in taking your first walk after surgery, and will be expected to increase your amount of activity every day to prevent complications such as pneumonia and blood clots. Meanwhile, your doctor and nursing team will take blood and urine samples to evaluate the health of your new kidney and pancreas. A transplant pharmacist will meet with you and your family to discuss your new medications.
Learn more about our intestinal rehabilitation program.
Follow-up Care
Most kidney-pancreas transplant patients are discharged seven or eight days after surgery, but some patients may need to stay longer. You will receive instructions about what to do when you return home, along with the date and time of a follow-up appointment with your transplant care team at the institute.
Before
Before your kidney-pancreas or pancreas-only transplant surgery, your doctor may require additional tests and check your overall health. You will also receive specific individualized instructions about preparing for surgery.
When donor organs become available, your transplant surgeon will schedule the procedure.
Timing
How quickly you proceed to surgery will be determined by many factors, including the arrival of the donor kidney and pancreas, the time for crossmatch testing, and your need for dialysis or additional testing before surgery.
Surgical Procedure
The surgery time varies with each patient, but typically a kidney-pancreas transplant takes about four to six hours. Along with the transplant, your surgeon may place a temporary catheter in your bladder to drain the urine until your new kidney begins functioning. After the procedure, you will spend an hour or longer in the recovery care unit, followed by at least one night in the surgical intensive care unit before being returned to a room at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s specialized transplant unit.
Recovery
Most transplant patients are able to start eating and drinking on the first day after surgery. You will be assisted in taking your first walk after surgery, and will be expected to increase your amount of activity every day to prevent complications such as pneumonia and blood clots. Meanwhile, your doctor and nursing team will take blood and urine samples to evaluate the health of your new kidney and pancreas. A transplant pharmacist will meet with you and your family to discuss your new medications.
Learn more about our intestinal rehabilitation program.
Follow-up Care
Most kidney-pancreas transplant patients are discharged seven or eight days after surgery, but some patients may need to stay longer. You will receive instructions about what to do when you return home, along with the date and time of a follow-up appointment with your transplant care team at the institute.
