Why We Have Two Kidneys But Only Need One Kidney To Live

Kidney transplants paved the way for surgical teams to develop successful transplants of other organs such as the heart, lungs, pancreas, and liver. People with weak kidneys are very sick. The kidneys do many things that are important for staying healthy. Normal kidneys perform several important tasks that keep the body healthy: Clean your blood and remove waste products through the formation of urine Balance fluids in the body by controlling water and salt concentrations balance of body chemicals (potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus) blood pressure used to make red blood cells  oxygen in the blood supply elements helps maintain strong bones. A kidney working at 20% capacity can do all of the above. The kidneys produce urine that flows through narrow tubes (called ureters) to the bladder. The kidneys filter 160 liters of fluid from the bloodstream each day and remove about 1-1/2 liters of waste in the form of urine. There are two ways to replace kidneys: dialysis and transplantation. Dialysis is when doctors use a machine and medicine to do the work the kidneys do. A better way to work the kidneys is to give the person another kidney. In order to be a candidate for immunotherapy, the general condition of the patient should be good, vital organs (such as heart, lung and kidney) should have adequate function and no brain metastases. Kidney transplantation is preferred to dialysis treatment in patients with renal failure. Kidney transplants are designed to treat patients whose kidneys have failed and become unable to process body waste. Transplants performed relatively soon after starting dialysis are, on average, more successful than transplants performed two or more years after a patient starts dialysis. The waiting time for kidney transplant recipients from living donors is generally much shorter than those receiving kidney transplants from deceased donors. Kidney transplants from younger donors tend to survive longer than transplants from older donors. Kidneys are allocated according to the match between donor and recipient blood groups and genetic type (called tissue type or HLA type), among other things. While kidneys from living donors usually start working immediately, kidneys from cadavers can take up to two weeks for the tissues to adapt and become functional. Unlike the workload of patients in other medical fields, a kidney transplant is done when a donor kidney is available. On average, patients listed for a deceased donor transplant wait about three years, but there is a lot of variability in that. For example, a patient with a rare tissue type will have fewer donors with a tissue type that fits well with the patient's tissue type compared to patients with a more common tissue type. Also, some patients have antibodies against certain tissue types, meaning some or most of the donor kidneys are not suitable for these patients. After surgery, patients can expect to stay in the hospital for about 7 to 10 days. After discharge, patients receive outpatient treatment every day for approximately four weeks. After daily outpatient visits, patients are instructed not to do heavy lifting or exercise for 8 to 10 weeks. Patients who do not smoke or quit smoking, maintain a good body weight, and exercise regularly are more likely to lead many years of quality life with a well-functioning kidney.