The operation

After the organ recipient arrives at the emergency room of Hannover Medical School, a patient file is issued for the transplantation ward.

On the transplant ward, the organ recipient is received by the nurse on duty and a surgeon. They will be informed about the upcoming transplant, their current and past medical history will be taken and they will undergo a physical examination. In addition to a blood sample, an ECG is taken and an X-ray of the lungs is taken. Dialysis may be necessary before the transplant.

Even now, the transplantation can still fail due to a so-called "positive tissue compatibility test". There is also the possibility that the organ is not suitable for transplantation for medical reasons.

Longer waiting times until the operation can occur due to necessary preparations by the operating theater and the operating team. It is possible that the organ comes from a distant location, so that the transportation of the organ to Hannover Medical School must be awaited.

The organ recipient and the organ are brought to the operating theater together.

After the operation, the transplanted patient wakes up in the intensive care unit and is transferred back to the transplantation ward a few hours or days later. A transplanted organ may not be fully functional in the first few days, so renal replacement therapy is still necessary at first.

After a hospital stay of around two to three weeks, the transplanted patient is discharged. On the day of discharge, the patient attends a preparatory consultation at the transplant outpatient clinic. Further outpatient care is provided there and by the patient's own nephrologist at regular intervals.