Kidney Transplant

Kidney transplantation is a procedure that places a healthy kidney from another person (preferably a family member) into your body. The donated kidney does the work that your two failed kidneys used to do.

You will undergo a thorough medical evaluation before kidney transplantation. In the meantime, you will be treated with dialysis. For kidney transplantation, the transplant team considers three factors in matching kidneys with potential recipients. These factors help predict whether your body’s immune system will accept the new kidney or reject it. Blood type. Your blood type (A, B, AB, or O) must be compatible with the donor’s. Blood type is the most important matching factor

Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Your cells carry six important HLAs, three inherited from each parent. Family members are most likely to have a complete match. You may still receive a kidney if the HLAs aren’t a complete match as long as your blood type is compatible with the organ donors and other tests show no problems with matching.

Cross-matching antigens. The last test before implanting an organ is the cross-match. A small sample of your blood will be mixed with a sample of the organ donor’s blood in a tube to see if there’s a reaction. If no reaction occurs, the result is called a negative cross-match, and the transplant operation can proceed.