For individuals who suffer kidney failure, it is essential for them to receive a kidney transplant from a donor. Without the kidney, an person is going to die due to its ability to extract waste from the blood stream. This waste ends up pushed into the urine which is then released through the body. Without the kidneys, this material ends up in the blood stream which, ultimately kills the individual. That is why you the kidney transplant is so important and must be performed as soon as possible before the kidneys completely fail and it is not possible to remove the waste products from the blood.

During the transplant, the hair on the chest and stomach region is shaved off and a laxative is given to the patient. It is important for the patient to be free of all waste before going into surgery. With the transplant they are not going to have the kidney inside of their body for a few minutes, so the less waste that enters the blood stream the better. During the surgery it is possible the patient might require a blood transfusion, so the patient might need to give blood ahead of time, if they are able to.

For the surgery, the patient is put under and they remain asleep for the entire operation. The kidney is removed from the side of the body where the doctors must cut through the side bones in order to access the kidney. Once the surgery is over though there is some pain and discomfort, especially around the point of operation, although the doctor is likely to prescribe pain killers for this pain. The patient is also told to cough throughout the day in order to keep the lungs clear and make sure they are free of waste from the kidneys.