Conditions that may prevent you from being eligible for a kidney transplant include:

• Advanced age

• Severe heart disease

• Active or recently treated cancer

• Dementia or poorly controlled mental illness

• Alcohol or drug abuse

Any other factor that could affect the ability to safely undergo the procedure and take the medications needed after a transplant to prevent organ rejection

Extensive testing must be done before you can be placed on the transplant list.

A transplant team carries out the evaluation process for a kidney. The team includes a transplant surgeon, a transplant nephrologist (healthcare provider specializing in the treatment of the kidneys), one or more transplant nurses, a social worker, and a psychiatrist or psychologist. Other team members may include a dietitian, a chaplain, and/or an anesthesiologist.

Kidney transplants are performed with general anesthesia, so you're not awake during the procedure. The surgical team monitors your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level throughout the procedure.

After the surgery, you will be taken to the recovery room. Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are alert, you may be taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) for close monitoring. In time, you will be moved out of the ICU to a regular nursing unit as you recover and you are closer to going home. A kidney transplant usually calls for several days in the hospital.

Once you are home, it is important to keep the surgical area clean and dry. Your healthcare provider will give you specific bathing instructions. Generally, the incision should not be submerged in water until the skin heals as this increases the risk for infection. The stitches or surgical staples will be removed during a follow-up office visit.