What Happens During a Kidney Transplant Operation?
Regardless of your child's donor source, the transplant operation is the same. During the kidney transplant procedure at Cincinnati Children's, your child is asleep with general anesthesia throughout the surgery, which usually lasts about three to four hours.
Existing Kidneys
If your child still has their own kidneys, they are not removed unless they have been causing problems such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, recurrent infections or very high urine output.
The New Kidneys
Once your child is asleep, the transplant surgeon makes a cut (incision) on either the right or left side of the lower belly, just above the groin area. This incision looks like a small hockey stick. The new kidney is placed in the belly below the ribs.
The new kidney's blood vessels are attached to your child's blood vessels, and the tube draining urine from it is attached to your child's bladder. Often, the kidney starts making urine right away, but sometimes it takes days to weeks before it starts working. If the new kidney's function is delayed, your child may need dialysis treatments until the kidney starts to work.
