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Miami Transplant Institute

1801 NW 9th Avenue

Miami, FL 33136

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Holtz Children’s Hospital

1611 N.W. 12th Avenue

Miami, FL 33136

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Surgery Process For Our Kidney Transplant Patients

What to expect before, during, and after your surgical procedure.

Before

Before your kidney transplant surgery, your doctor may require additional tests and check your overall health. You will also receive specific individualized instructions about preparing for surgery.

Timing

When a deceased donor organ becomes available, your transplant surgeon will schedule the procedure. How quickly you proceed to surgery will be determined by many factors, including:

  • The arrival of the donor kidney
  • The time for crossmatch testing
  • Your need for dialysis or additional testing before surgery

If you have a living donor, the procedure will be scheduled in advance on a date convenient for your donor.

Surgical Procedure

The surgery time varies with each patient, but typically a kidney transplant takes about four 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, before being transported to your room at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s specialized transplant unit.

Recovery

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. 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 transplant patients are discharged four or five days after surgery, but some 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 transplant surgery, your doctor may require additional tests and check your overall health. You will also receive specific individualized instructions about preparing for surgery.

Timing

When a deceased donor organ becomes available, your transplant surgeon will schedule the procedure. How quickly you proceed to surgery will be determined by many factors, including:

  • The arrival of the donor kidney
  • The time for crossmatch testing
  • Your need for dialysis or additional testing before surgery

If you have a living donor, the procedure will be scheduled in advance on a date convenient for your donor.

Surgical Procedure

The surgery time varies with each patient, but typically a kidney transplant takes about four 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, before being transported to your room at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s specialized transplant unit.

Recovery

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. 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 transplant patients are discharged four or five days after surgery, but some 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.