The day before surgery, the recipient should prepare a bag with comfortable clothes and personal items (toothbrush, shampoo, reading glasses, etc.). You are also allowed to bring reading material, or other entertainment devices to use during your recovery time in the hospital. If you’re on the wait-list, these items should be prepared in advance to avoid delays when an organ becomes available.
You will be asked not to eat anything starting the night before the scheduled surgery. If you’re on the wait-list, you’ll be asked to stop eating as soon as we call to tell you that an organ has become available. This is to avoid digestive-tract movements during the surgery. You are, however, allowed to drink water during this period.
You will arrive a few hours before surgery. Your family will be allowed to accompany you in the pre-op area, where you’ll undergo a few preliminary tests to ensure you’re still in good condition to receive the transplant. This will include blood work, antibody tests, chest X-rays, electrocardiogram (EKG), dialysis, and other tests to ensure you can still receive the kidney. You will then be admitted to the operating room.
You’ll be brought into the operating room on a gurney, where the anesthesiologists will place you under general anesthesia. Once you’re asleep, the team will insert a tube in your throat that will connect to a machine that helps you breathe (ventilator). They will also insert a tube into your urethra (Foley catheter) to allow urine to drain during the long surgery, and a tube from your nose to your stomach (nasogastric) to drain the contents of your stomach. While the surgical team performs the operation, two anesthesiologists will monitor your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs.
