- The donor is usually admitted to the Hospital the day before surgery and is asked to fast (no drinking or eating) for 12 hours
prior to surgery.
- The anesthesiologist and the rest of the Transplant Team will meet with the donor to explain the surgical procedure.
- The Team may order laboratory tests, including blood work, a chest X-ray, and an EKG as a final check of the donor's health
status.
- On the day of surgery, a Transplant Anesthesiologist inserts an intravenous (IV) into the patient’s arm. This allows for the
administration of medicine. One of the medicines is a sedative to make the patient relax. Prior to surgery, when the patient
consents to surgery, doctors will explain more about the drugs the patient will receive and their side effects.
- The patient is “intubated.” This is when the anesthesiologist inserts a breathing tube. This helps the patient breathe during
surgery.
- A catheter will also be inserted to drain urine from the bladder.
- Patients are given general anesthesia during the procedure. They are completely unconscious throughout the surgery and do
not feel pain.
The Kidney Transplantation Procedure
In a living donor transplant procedure, the recipient's transplant operation follows the donor's operation.
Donor’s Surgery
Most of the living donor transplants performed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are completed via laparoscopic nephrectomy.
In laparoscopic nephrectomy, the transplant surgeon makes several small incisions near the belly button. The abdomen is then
inflated with a harmless carbon dioxide gas to provide room for the surgery. One of the incisions is used to insert a tiny
camera to allow for video access so that the surgeons can see the surgery. The other incision points allow entry for the instruments
to conduct the surgery.
