Kidney Transplant Vs. Dialysis

Kidney transplants and dialysis are two methods of treatment for patients who have suffered severe kidney damage. The kidneys are an organ in the body that filter the waste from your blood. These two treatments help keep your body healthy.

Features

• A kidney transplant includes a surgery that will replace a kidney. Dialysis includes a machine that will function as a kidney would.

Effects

• Without the kidneys, the body cannot function correctly and can eventually lead to death. Dialysis and kidney transplants assist in keeping the body functioning.

Risks

• Some of the risks associated with dialysis are muscle cramps, low blood pressure, anemia, bone diseases, high blood pressure, fluid overload, infection, depression and high potassium levels. The risks associated with kidney transplant are blood clots, infection, rejection of the organ, kidney failure, bleeding, bone thinning and high cholesterol.

Procedures

• During a kidney transplant, a healthy kidney from a donor will be put in the place of the failed organ by a surgeon. Patients will typically spend a recovery time of five days in the hospital afterward. Dialysis is typically done five to seven times a week for three to five hours a day by a machine that will take chemicals from your body.

Time Frame

• A kidney transplant usually only takes a few hours for the surgery with the following three to five days for recovery. Medication will be taken afterward for the rest of the patient's life. Dialysis is typically a lifelong treatment.