Kidney Transplantation - Discharge and Follow Up

Discharge from the hospital

The recipient is usually requested to stay in the hospital for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. The presence of infection, the presence of any complications after surgery and the recovery of the patient are factors that play a critical role in planning the discharge. A few patients may be discharged in just 2 weeks while some others might take 3 weeks or longer. Following discharge, it is very important to follow the instructions given by the doctor and take the appropriate medicines in time to ensure a better quality of life.

Follow up after kidney transplantation

The renal transplant recipient would be required to report to the hospital after one or two weeks following the discharge for wound examination. Subsequent visits are scheduled at the end of 5 months and 1 year. After this, regular follow up visits have to be undertaken annually. During these visits renal function tests are performed to evaluate the functioning of the kidneys.

Kidney Transplantation - References

1. ���Smith�s General Urology (15th Edition)
2. Emil A. Tanagho, MD and Jack W. McAninch, MD
3. �The McGraw- Hill Companies
4. Kidney transplant - (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003005.htm)