What Happens In An Organ Transplant?

On the day of your surgery, you will be hospital for the transplant. In this blog, we are going to mention some of the things that you can expect on that day. Every transplant experience will be different, but here are some of the general facts.

The Surgery Team

The approach of the team is standard. Certain number of people will be taking care of your needs.

You will have a transplant doctor and transplant surgeon to assist the procedure. Some of the other team members may include:

• Dietician
• Transplant coordinator
• Nurses
• Infectious disease doctor
• Pharmacist
• Social worker
• Psychologist or psychiatrist
• Occupational therapist
• Physical therapist
• Financial coordinator
• Critical care or intensive care specialist
• Smaller medical facilities have lesser people in the team.

How Long Will the Procedure Be?

Several factors will determine the length of the procedure, such as the specific organ that needs to be transplanted. Your transplant may take less time if you have already undergone a transplant before on that specific organ.

The times differ a lot for different surgeries. For example;

·         Pancreas (2-4 hours)

·         Kidney (4-5 hours)

·         Liver (5-8 hours(

·         Both pancreas and kidney (5-7 hours)

The surgeon will be able to provide a better insight about the estimated time.

The Recovery

The recovery will depend on the surgery you opt for along with the standard procedure followed by the hospital. You will be taken to the critical care or intensive care unit right after the surgery.

You can have visitors after your doctor feels that you are well enough. It is usually sooner than expected. It can sometimes be on the same day of your surgery itself.

You will be allowed to sit in a chair after a day or two. The expected stay in the hospital will vary. Your care team will be considering several factors before finally discharging you from the hospital.