Kidney Transplant In India With Highest Success Rates
Are you unable to live an active life and undergoing repeated dialysis? Are you still suffering from pain and obstruction while passing your urine?
You are not alone.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health issue around the world. Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who require renal replacement therapy are estimated to number between 4.902 million and 7.083 million in the world.
But a kidney transplant in India can change your life completely.
In India, you can undergo a hassle-free renal transplant surgery with the help of robotics. The expertise of world-renowned surgeons and the advanced technology of kidney transplants make India an ideal destination for your treatment. You rely on the facilities and get ready to get yourself cured of the deadly end-stage kidney disease.
Let’s learn about how kidney transplants in India can transform your life.
What is a Kidney Transplant?
A kidney transplant is a surgery that involves transferring a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor to someone whose kidneys are no longer functioning properly.
When your kidneys lose their ability to filter, harmful fluid levels and waste accumulate in your body, which may increase your blood pressure and result in kidney failure.
What are the sources of Kidney Transplants?
Donor kidneys come from two primary sources: deceased and living donors. Deceased donors refer to patients with no heartbeat due to head injury. Generally, relatives of such patients provide their organs and it is one of the greatest acts of charity as many people await transplants, and organs of such patients are always in high demand.
Alternatively, kidneys can also be sourced from living donors, who fall into two categories:
- Living Related Donors (LRD): LRD is a person closely related to the recipient genetically, most commonly these include the parents, children, or siblings.
- Living Unrelated Donors (LURD): Such donors are not blood-relations but are usually the husband or wife of the recipient or friends.
What is deceased Kidney Transplantation?
In a deceased-donor kidney transplant, a kidney from a person who has recently died is given to a patient in need of a kidney. This kidney is harvested from a patient who has recently passed away, either through the consent of the family or through a donor’s card.
As for the kidney, either it is placed in an ice solution or it is connected to a machine. The machine supplies oxygen and food to the kidney until the kidney is transplanted in the patient who requires it.
The two parties are most likely in the same region or locality. This minimizes the duration that the kidney is out of the human body, which is beneficial for the transplant center.
What tests are done before a Kidney Transplantation?
In preparation for a Kidney Transplantation, the healthcare provider may ask you to undergo a series of comprehensive tests to assess your suitability and ensure optimal transplant outcomes. Here are the tests.
To find a suitable donor, you need to know your blood group. This is a simple blood test to confirm whether your donor has the same blood group as you.
Doctors must also confirm the tissue type required to help the transplant team determine how well you match a donated kidney. The transplant team will examine your tissue type and compare it to potential donors to determine whether the donor’s kidney is suitable for transplantation.
Your blood will be tested for infection and diseases (such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C).
What makes a good kidney donor?
In most cases, living-related donors are preferred over other donors because they are biological siblings of the patient in need of a kidney transplant. However, due to improvements in the medical treatments to reduce the chances of rejection, the results of kidney transplants that are done from live unrelated donors are nearly as good as the ones from live related donors.
Hence, anyone can be considered a donor if their blood type matches. So, most people with excellent health and aged 18 to 60 are potential donors. All living donors are evaluated on an individual basis.
It is important to note that all prospective kidney donors must provide written confirmation that their decision to donate is voluntary, without any significant compensation.
How does blood group determine the selection of a kidney donor?
Generally, blood groups should be compatible. This is quite complex, but in summary, the person with the blood type of O can donate blood to any person – O is considered to be the universal blood type.
However, only an individual with blood type A can donate to a patient whose blood type is A; blood type B can only donate to B, and AB only to AB. Regarding the recipient, an individual with the blood type O is allowed to accept only a kidney from a donor with the same blood type O, an individual with the blood type A can accept a kidney from either an A or O donor while an individual with the blood type B can accept a kidney from either a B or O donor.
Why would you require a Kidney Transplant?
A kidney transplant may be necessary for a patient if his/her kidneys are no longer functioning properly or have completely failed.
Also, you may need a kidney transplant if you have kidney disease that has reached an advanced stage or kidney failure and need dialysis to live. Dialysis on the other hand is a process of removing waste products and other unwanted substances from blood.
Certain kidney conditions that can lead to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) include:
- Diabetic nephropathy or hypertensive nephropathy, is a condition that affects the kidney.
- Other hereditary diseases such as Polycystic kidney disease.
- Glomerulonephritis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the kidney’s filtration structure.
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome – a rather rare disease, which is accompanied by kidney failure.
- Lupus and other related systemic autoimmune diseases.
- Kidney stones, an enlarged prostate or cancer in some parts of the body can hinder the workings of the urinary tract for a long time.
- Some diseases for instance congenital kidney diseases may call for kidney transplantation.
There are other conditions under which your healthcare provider may advise you to undergo a renal transplant.
Paired Exchange Kidney Transplant in India
If the donor and the recipient do not match in living donation, then the option of paired exchange can be utilized. This is where another pair of a donor and recipient are identified and the initial donors continue donating to the other recipients. Thus, all the patients in need of a kidney transplantation will receive the needed organ.
In some cases, one can come up with a ‘chain’ of recipient/donor pairs in such a way that all the persons involved receive a compatible transplant.
At times, direct transplantations can be arranged even when the blood group of the recipient and donor is different. Further on, a special treatment for the removal of blood group antibodies from the recipient will be applied in this case.
How to prepare for a Kidney Transplant?
Here are the essential steps and preparations for a successful kidney transplant:
Evaluation Before transplant
A full health evaluation by a transplant team at a transplant center is required to find out whether you are fit for a kidney transplant. You may require the following tests:
- Blood and tissue type tests
- Kidney function test and GFR
- Ultrasonography of abdomen
- Tests for HIV and hepatitis
- Prostate exam (for men)
- Mammogram and Pap smear (for women)
- Heart and lung exams
- Kidney and liver tests
- Colon exam (colonoscopy)
Since a kidney transplant is a major surgery, you need to be physically and mentally prepared for it. That’s why, a mental health evaluation is also required as part of the kidney transplant evaluation.
How is a kidney transplanted?
In the process of kidney transplant surgery, a surgeon implants a healthy kidney into your body. You will be given general anesthesia before the surgery. The surgery usually does not exceed 3 to 4 hours. If your damaged kidneys do not lead to infections or high blood pressure, they can be transplanted into the body. Most of the time, a kidney is placed in the lower abdomen just below the umbilicus.
If you are on a waiting list for a donor’s kidney, you need to go to the hospital and undergo the transplant surgery once there is a kidney for you.
If it is a living-related donor, the surgery schedule can be preplanned. A kidney from a living donor does not need to be shipped from one facility to another; therefore, it may be in good condition as compared to a kidney from a deceased donor. The team of surgeons performing the surgery on you will also operate on your donor at the same time but in different adjoining rooms. One physician will extract the kidney from the donor and the other will get you ready to receive the new kidney.
What are the post-transplant complications?
Kidney transplant surgery carries a risk of significant complications, including:
- Blood clots and bleeding.
- The conditions that result from malfunction of the tube that transfers urine from the kidney to the bladder (ureter).
- Infection.
- Complications of the donated kidney or the recipient’s body rejecting the donated kidney.
- An infection or cancer that the donor may be carrying in the kidney donated to him.
- Death, heart attack, and strokes.
Post-surgical management of kidney transplantation
A kidney transplant is one of the most successful transplants, but many factors determine its long-term outcome.
You should:
- Go to your transplant team regularly and listen to what they tell you
- Always take your anti-rejection drugs as recommended by your doctor
- It is advisable to adhere to the schedule of laboratory tests and clinic visits to monitor the health of your kidney
Adopt a good diet, exercise, and ensure that you are not overweight.
What is kidney rejection?
Rejection is the action of your body’s defence mechanisms against your new kidney because it recognizes it as foreign, and therefore a threat. Sometimes even if the kidney donor is compatible, your body still does not accept the new kidney and will attempt to eliminate it. The body attacking the kidney that has been transplanted is called kidney rejection.
Kidney rejection is mostly noticed within the first six months after a transplant surgery but it can happen at any other time. However, your risk for transplant rejection will continue to reduce but will never be zero.
Immunosuppressive drugs are used to stop or treat kidney transplant rejection by suppressing your immune system from attacking the transplanted kidney. Recipients of kidney transplants have to take immunosuppressive drugs. If it happens, the healthcare provider increases the dosage or switches to a different type of immunosuppressive medication.
The doctor can usually spot a kidney rejection early on and treat it before it can do any severe or irreversible harm to the kidneys. You must adhere strictly to the dosages prescribed by the doctor, undergo laboratory tests, and never miss appointments with your doctor after a kidney transplant.
There are two main types of kidney transplant rejection – acute and chronic.
Acute rejection is that which occurs in the first year after the transplant. It more frequently happens in the initial phase of the treatment.
If you have not had an acute rejection within the first year, it is considered that you will not have it if you adhere to the prescribed medication schedule.
Your doctor will change your medications if he or she suspects acute rejection in an attempt to stop your body from attacking your kidney.
Chronic rejection is generally a slow process and takes several years. Your body’s immune system gradually and chronically attacks the new kidney and this causes damage to the kidney. However, chronic rejection affects kidney recipients more than acute rejection.
This may develop even several years after a patient has received a kidney transplant. The signs may not be very visible and may not be easily noticed since the rejection is not sudden.
What are anti-rejection medication side effects?
You will be on medication after the kidney transplant to stop your body from attacking the donated kidney. Side effects of the medications can be following.
- Osteoporosis and osteonecrosis; two are forms of bone diseases that are characterized by the loss of bone mass and bone tissue.
- Diabetes.
- Hair problems, either growing too much hair or losing too much hair.
- High blood pressure.
- High cholesterol.
Recovery from Kidney Transplant Surgery
Here’s what happens during the recovery period of a kidney transplant:
In the hospital after the transplant surgery, the doctor will be closely monitoring you. Generally, you will spend several days in the hospital while recovering.
Your transplant team will change your immunosuppressive medication and closely monitor you for symptoms that your body is accepting the new kidney.
The transplant team will normally ask you to get up and start walking one day after your surgery.
You will be discharged to go and rest when you are stable to the extent that you can be released to go home.
Recovering at home
Below are some tips that you should follow at home to aid in the healing process:
- You should not engage in heavy activities that will strain the area that has been operated on for surgery.
- One has to weigh himself/herself and check on his/her blood pressure from time to time.
- If you observe any change or anything that is not normal with your body, make sure you consult your doctor.
- Recovery of the surgery site is usually complete within six weeks.
Guidelines for a kidney transplant in India
Here are some of the guidelines you need to follow for a successful kidney transplant in India:
- For a living donor kidney transplant, the donor must be either a sibling, son, daughter, parent, grandparent, or grandchild of the recipient (patient). If there is no match in the first relations, relatives with kidney match can be the donor. It can be a non-relative donor too if the kidney matches with the recipient.
- A kidney transplantation team will look at the patient based on all available medical reports. Both the donor and the patient will have to undergo diagnostic tests such as Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing and blood tests.
- The transplant team assesses donor compatibility according to HLA testing. If the patient’s HLA type is consistent with the donor, it is more likely that the patient’s body will not reject the kidney.
- A certificate of non-objection is issued to the patient by the high commission of the patient’s country of origin in India, which is then presented to the hospital.
- Cases are then submitted to the transplant board for authorization. The patient will have to submit all necessary documents for the approval of the Transplant Committee.
- Lastly, for a transplant to take place, approval of the Committee is required.
A state-of-the-art robotic Kidney Transplant in India
The advanced robotic kidney transplantation in India is a highly successful new procedure. In this minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon carries out a small incision of 4 to 5 cm that benefits the patient with an easy and faster recovery. With the help of the robot, the kidney transplant surgeon can carry out the surgery in an expert manner with clarity and precision.
Following a robotic kidney transplant in India, the patient has overall better health, quick recovery, and comparatively less blood loss and a minor scar.
What is the cost of a Kidney Transplant in India?
The cost of a kidney transplant in India ranges from USD 13,000 to USD 15,000 (971586 – 1121061 INR).
It is estimated that a medical tourist usually saves up to half of the money they would ideally spend in any other country for a kidney transplant.
The success rate of Kidney Transplants in India
The success rate of kidney transplants in India is one of the highest in the world. The current success rate is about 90 percent.
However, many other factors influence kidney transplant success rate, such as hospital choice, surgical expertise, post-operative care teams, matching tissue and donor compatibility, whether the donor is blood-relative, and more.
After a successful kidney transplant in India, the patient will no longer need dialysis as the newly received kidney will filter blood for the body.
How to choose the best hospital for Kidney Transplants in India?
Kidney transplant is a vital surgery that requires the best of facilities and medical expertise, that’s why knowing the best hospitals for kidney transplants in India is very important.
To choose a hospital for kidney transplants in India, one has to make sure that the hospital has excellent facilities and uses the latest technology in the world. It is recommended that you look for a hospital that is JCI/NABH certified.
The surgeons in the hospital should be very professional, specialized, proficient, and have a proven track when it comes to handling the patients they attend to.
Besides, you need to decide on a hospital that provides the most modern approach to treatment and confirm that the hospital has a specialized ward for those who are preparing for transplantations and those who have recently undergone them.
How to select the right doctor/surgeon for your Kidney Transplant in India?
You need to choose the best kidney transplant surgeon for the kidney transplant surgery to be successful.
The following factors need to be taken into consideration while choosing the doctor for a kidney transplant.
- Evaluate the following qualifications for kidney transplantation: Fellowship in Multi-Organ and kidney transplantation and/or DM (Nephrology).
- Check the number of surgeries that have been performed.
- The success rate should be more than 90 percent.
MedicoExperts helps you connect with some of the best doctors in India doctors adhering to the above criteria.
Takeaway
Kidney transplantation is essential for patients with end-stage kidney disease. If the dialysis no longer works for you, you have to replace your kidney with a functional one that can give you much-needed relief.
A kidney transplant is not an easy surgical procedure. There are a lot of steps in presurgical evaluation and post-surgical care.
Starting from the donor selection to the monitoring of immunosuppressant drugs post-transplant, MedicoExperts takes care of every step by following the international guidelines for kidney transplantation.
This makes your transplant journey safe and comfortable and minimizes the chances of kidney rejection.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q1. What is the wait time for a kidney transplant in India?
The wait time for a kidney transplant depends on the following factors:
- Blood type and antibody matching
- Time spent with kidney failure
Generally, the waiting time can be between 3 to 5 years and sometimes even more depending on the area where you are undergoing transplant. It is advisable to get this information from the transplant clinic that is managing your case.
Q2. Who cannot donate a kidney?
There are certain factors that can disqualify a donor:
Age is still considered one of the factors that can disqualify a person from becoming a potential kidney donor. Persons of 18-25 years are eligible to become a kidney donor, though the age may vary depending on the transplant center. Thus, there is no specific limit in terms of age for becoming a living donor, though, it is often more challenging for elderlies to meet the criteria.
A person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 35 is not suitable to be a kidney donor, most of the time. People with a BMI of 30-35 might be advised to lose some weight before the operation. Some centers go to the extent of having special programs that can assist potential donors lose some weight so that they may be able to meet the required criteria.
A kidney donor should be in good health and therefore, one can be considered unfit to donate kidneys if they have a severe disease including; uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer that is either active or has been treated recently, hepatitis, or any acute or repetitive infections.
Q3. Is a kidney transplant better than dialysis?
As compared to dialysis at regular intervals, it has been established that kidney transplantation is more suitable for many patients with severe chronic kidney disease since quality of life and life expectancy are both improved.
Best hospital for kidney transplant in India
All the best hospitals in India have state-of-the-art technology and treatment methods like contemporary immunosuppressants, induction agents, contemporary protocols, and highly sophisticated surgical techniques to ensure the highest success rate. Here is a list of our best hospitals for a kidney transplant in India:
MedicoExperts is a Global virtual hospital which is established to offer quality healthcare services at affordable pricing without compromising the success rates of the treatment.
MedicoExperts is having a network of highly experienced super specialist doctors and well equipped hospitals across the globe and offering second opinion through online video consultation and surgical interventions through its empanelled super specialist doctors at its network hospitals in 17 countries from 3 continents.
By the virtue of its approach and model, MedicoExperts is successfully achieve to deliver
- Latest and most advanced treatments with success rates of international benchmarks.
- Multiple cost options depending upon the hospital facilities, with the same doctor.
- Treatment option in multiple cities/state/countries.
- Trust and peace of mind.
Most suitable for patients who are looking for:-
- Planned Surgeries and treatment from most experienced doctors and at multiple cost options as per hospital facilities with best possible outcomes.
- Second Opinion from expert doctors.
- Complex cases involving multi specialities
- International patients looking for treatment from Indian doctors
Recommended Articles For You
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970385/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4120216/
- https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2020/04001/kdigo_clinical_practice_guideline_on_the.9.aspx
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553074/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9208883/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567755/
- https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/ti.2022.10482/full
- https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2016/10000/criteria_for_and_appropriateness_of_renal.12.aspx
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Medically Reviewed By MedicoExperts Editorial & Clinically Review Board On 9 July 2024
Author Bio:
Dr. Subhamoy Mukherjee is a molecular oncologist with experience working with genomic profiles. He has several years of experience in scientific writing. He takes a strong interest in making people aware of different treatment approaches in cancer, and acute and chronic diseases. He also has an interest in innovative approaches for treating different mental and physical illnesses. View all posts by Dr. Subhamoy Mukherjee
