Kidney Transplant – Cost, Success Rate, Donor, Procedure

The kidney is the organ that filters waste in the blood and removes it from the body through urine. They also help to maintain the electrolyte balance and bodily fluid. In case of kidney failure a surgical procedure called a kidney transplant is done.

If your kidney stops working, then waste builds up in your body and makes you very sick. People who have failed kidneys undergo a treatment called dialysis. This treatment filters waste mechanically that builds up in your bloodstream when the kidney stops functioning. Read below to know more about Cost, Success Rate, Donor, and Procedure for a kidney transplant:

The Cost

Despite the high demand for kidney transplantation, this procedure is not available in every part of the world. The United States is on top of kidney replacement surgery, with 17,107 surgeries annually.

However, the cost of a kidney transplant in the U.S ranges from $ 350,000 to $ 450,000. In recent years Asian countries have been gaining the leadership position in kidney transplantation. India and Turkey are the leading countries for kidney transplants not only in their region but in the world as well. 

In India or Turkey, kidney transplant is legal and available for everyone, including people from foreign countries. About 500,000 international patients come to India for medical care annually.

Patients are from every type of country, from developed countries to middle-income countries and lower-developed countries. It’s next only to the U.S.A in the number of transplants. 

Economics and quality serve as the primary reason why people travel to India for treatments. For example,

• The kidney transplant surgery cost in India ranges from $10,000 to $15,000, which is app. 95% lower than in the U.S.A $ 350,000 to $ 450,000.
• In India, kidney transplant is app. 75% cheaper than U.K. and app. 85% lower than Isreal and Germany.

When people decide on a kidney transplant, they should also know about the drugs they should take after transplantation. 

Success Rate

Both the living organ donor and the deceased organ donor are excellent life-changing options and highly successful.

– 98.11% success rate for a living donor kidney transplant.

– 94.88% success rate for deceased donor transplants.

There is a slight increase in the success rate of live kidney transplants than deceased transplants. 

Other Factors that affect the success rate of kidney

Donor and Recipient age and health

The most important factor that decides the fate of kidney transplantation is the age and health of the donor and receiver. If the patient is physically healthy, the chances of success post-surgery increase. Age too plays a crucial role.

Older patients have higher rates of survival rates when compared to patients under 65. Receiving a kidney transplant from a young patient also increases the chance of survival rate. Similarly, a transplant from healthy individuals promises less chance of graft loss or immune rejection. 

Degree of HLA match

HLA stands for Human-leukocyte antigen test, and it is the diagnostic test that can calculate the genetic compatibility between patient and donor. The higher the match between the donor and patient, the lower the chance of rejection or graft loss. A full match is an ideal way of having successful transplant surgery.

Immune rejection

Except for the HLA-match and advanced donor age, many factors can cause graft loss and rejection after the transplant surgery. Immune rejection can be of two types chronic or acute. Acute rejection occurs within days or weeks after the surgery. Chronic rejection can lead to a rejected kidney even after a decade.

Kidney Donation

Finding a willing living donor kidney is the alternative to waiting for a compatible deceased donor to become available. Family members are the most likely to be compatible with living kidney donors. But successful living-donor transplants are common with donated kidneys from unrelated people such as co-workers, friends, and religious congregation members.

Paired donation is another type of doting living kidney if you have a willing kidney donor whose organ doesn’t match with you. Rather than donating a kidney directly to you, the donor can give the kidney to someone who may be a better match. Then you can receive a matching kidney from that recipient’s donor. 

If no compatible living donor is available, then your name will be placed on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. It is because there can be fewer kidneys available than the people waiting for a transplant.

Kidney transplant procedure

If you are getting a kidney from a living donor, your doctor can schedule the transplant in advance. If you are looking for a deceased donor who is a close match for your tissue type, you need to go to the hospital when a donor is found.

You will have to provide a sample of your blood for the antibody test once you get to the transplant facility. If the crossmatch test yields a negative result, you will be cleared for surgery. General anesthesia is used during a kidney transplant. This involves giving a drug to put you to sleep so that the surgery can be performed.

The anesthesia will be delivered into your body. The doctor will insert the donor kidney into your abdomen after placing you to sleep. After that, they join your arteries and veins with the donor’s arteries and veins.

Blood will then begin to pass through the new kidney as a result. To urinate normally, doctors will also connect the ureter of the new kidney to your bladder. Your kidney and bladder are connected by a tube called the ureter. Your original kidneys won’t be removed by your doctor unless they are producing issues, including high blood pressure or an infection.

Bottom Line

Take into consideration the above-given points when you think of getting a kidney transplant. Knowing about the kidney transplant surgery cost, success rate, and procedure will give you the clarity to make an informed decision for your transplant. 

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