17. In-Hospital Recovery

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Our team will take you to the PACU immediately after surgery, where they’ll monitor your vitals while you’re still unconscious. They’ll observe your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, which will be assisted by a breathing machine. Once you wake up and can breathe on your own, our nurses will remove the breathing tube, and they’ll transfer you to the transplant unit. This is expected to take place two hours after surgery.

Transplant Unit

You will wake up feeling groggy and in pain. You’ll notice several tubes attached to your body:

• An IV to deliver nutrients and medicine into your bloodstream
• Electrodes on your chest to monitor your heart rate
• A Foley catheter in your urethra to drain your urine
• A Jackson-Pratt drain, which drains fluids out of the surgery area into small containers.

Feeling nauseous as you regain consciousness is to be expected. This is a common side-effect of the anesthesia, so our nursing staff will provide you with medications as needed. The tubes attached to your body will be removed as your condition stabilizes. You’ll remain in the transplant unit until you’re ready to be discharged.

Kidney Monitoring

Our transplant team will look for signs of rejection or infection. They will give you anti-rejection medications. If infection is suspected, you’ll be given antibiotics. We’ll also draw blood frequently to monitor your blood urea nitrogen and creatinin (two measures that reflect kidney function). They will also be looking for signs of bleeding.

Kidney Function

A transplanted kidney will begin low functionality immediately after surgery, and return to full capacity within 3-5 days if it’s from a living donor, or 7-15 days if it’s from a deceased donor. If your kidney delays to begin functioning, you may be put on dialysis for the short term until your kidney fully wakes up.

Organ Education

You will meet your post-transplant nurse coordinator, who will be your primary contact regarding transplant related questions or concerns. She will talk to you about your recovery along with a pharmacist. They will teach you about:

• How to live with your new organ.
• Your medication regimen.
• How to follow your insurance requirements to obtain medication.
• How to look for signs of rejection or infection.

Hospital Discharge

We anticipate you’ll be able to walk the day after surgery. The Foley catheter will be removed after 3-6 days. Your hospital stay will typically range from 4 to 7 days after the transplant surgery, depending on how severe your condition was. We recommend you arrange a friend, family member, or transport service to take you home. If you live more than an hour away from Lahey Hospital, we may arrange to check you into our nearby hotel suite, to give you some rest outside the hectic hospital environment, while still allowing for convenient hospital visits when necessary. Your time at our hotel suite will last a couple of days, and then you will be approved to go back home.