At The London Clinic, we provide a private kidney transplant service. Right in the heart of Harley street, you’ll be seen by one of our world class nephrologists, who will guide you from screening and pre-op, right through to recovery.
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Kidney transplantation
Also known as: Kidney transplant, renal transplantation, renal transplant
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Get seen and treated within 14 days
What is it for?
Kidney transplantation for patients with end-stage kidney failure
Kidney transplantation consultation at The London Clinic
At The London Clinic we offer a full kidney transplant procedure from donor screening right through to recovery and aftercare.
Throughout your treatment journey, your highly experienced care team, including world class surgeons and look after you.
Many of our transplant surgeons are active frontline doctors who regularly carry out kidney transplants on high risk patients with health conditions like diabetes or heart problems.
After an enhanced pre-assessment which includes analysis of your blood type and antigens, your kidney donor coordinator will work with you to establish a ‘negative crossmatch’ for your new kidney.
Contact us today, so you can start your treatment journey and get back to living the life you love.
FAQs
Your kidney transplant will take around two to six hours depending on what type of surgery you’re having:
- Keyhole transplant surgery (two hours)
- Traditional transplant surgery (four hours)
- Dual kidney transplant surgery (four to six hours)
Once you’re asleep from the general anaesthetic your surgeon makes a cut (incision) in your lower abdomen and places the new kidney in either the right or left-hand side of your abdomen.
Your surgeon then connects the new kidney to your blood vessels so it can function properly. We leave your own kidney where it is unless it’s infected or you have uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The surgeon then connects the long thin tube (ureter) from your new kidney to your bladder so you can urinate (pee).
They may put a stent in the new ureter to keep it open which we remove six to twelve weeks after your surgery.
Once the new kidney is in place your surgeon closes the cut with stitches or clips.
They then bandage your abdomen and insert small tubes including an intravenous drip into your arms, neck and bladder.
These are left in place for medicines, fluids and so you can urinate.
After surgery, we will take you to the recovery suite, where your care nurse will look after you while you come round from the anaesthetic.
Once your care nurse is happy with your progress, we will move you to your private en-suite to relax.
We’ll provide you with food and drink shortly after your surgery, and your care nurse will record how much urine you produce to check your kidney is working well.
To reduce the chance of blood clots, we will encourage you to gently move around as much as possible.
Your physiotherapist will assist you with breathing exercises to reduce your chances of getting a chest infection.
We usually remove the tubes in your veins and abdomen after two to three days, and your urinary catheter after five days.
How long it takes to recover from your kidney transplant surgery depends on how fit and healthy you are before your surgery and whether you’re having a single or dual kidney transplant (DKT).
For the first few weeks, we’ll organise regular follow-ups and tests to check your kidney is functioning properly, and to make sure you have all the medications you need.
As soon as you feel well enough you can do gentle exercise, such as walking and stretching.
Keeping fit with tennis, cycling, golf and swimming will help strengthen your muscles.
For the first six to eight weeks you should try and avoid lifting any heavy objects or driving.
It’s also best to avoid contact sports, like rugby or basketball, to protect your new kidney. Your care team will advise you on whether it’s safe to exercise in certain ways.
You can contact us at any time and we’re happy to help with any questions you may have.
Our patients tell us the biggest benefits of a kidney transplant are more energy and a new lease for life.
You should notice other benefits including:
- Freedom from dialysis
- Longer life expectancy
- Increase in physical strength
- Improved sex life
- Improved blood pressure
- Ability to eat a normal diet
- More control over your lifestyle
- Recovery from anaemia
- Work, travel and exercise are easier
Kidney transplant surgery can have side effects and there may be complications, including:
- Blood clots or internal bleeding
- Heart attack or stroke
- A blocked ureter that links the new kidney and bladder
- Infection from elsewhere in the body that spreads to the new kidney
- Failure or rejection of the new kidney
Other side effects include:
- Feeling puffy under your skin
- Weight gain
- Acne
You may need to take medication to stop your body from rejecting your new kidney.
Side effects from anti-rejection medication can include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Hair loss or growth
- Bone thinning (osteoporosis)
At The London Clinic we aim to reduce the chances of any complications, so you have the best possible outcome and recover as smoothly as possible.
Consultants
We offer Fixed Price Packages
Where possible, we’ll provide a fixed-price package for your hospital care. This covers your hospital stay, nursing, and use of our facilities, giving you a clear guide to what those costs will be.
- Pre-op assessment
- Hospital stay, nursing care and meals
- Tests, scans and physio during your stay
- Take-home medication (up to 5 days)
- Post-op follow-up appointments
- Standard equipment or prosthesis (if needed)
- Unplanned extended stay or ITU (if clinically required)
- Initial consultation and any tests done during it
- Consultant and anaesthetist fees (quoted separately)
- Physio or therapy before or after your stay
- Diagnostics before admission (unless agreed in your plan)
- Specialist medication beyond 5 days
- Ambulance transport or bespoke prosthetics
Your consultant’s fees are quoted separately and shared directly by their office after your consultation. These professional fees cover the time, expertise, and care provided by your consultant before, during, and after your treatment. See our full terms and conditions
Timeline
At The London Clinic we offer fast access to world-class consultants and many of the latest treatments, so you can get back to the life you love.
Book an appointment
Our dedicated appointments team will arrange for you to meet with one of our renowned transplant surgeons at our specialist clinic near Harley Street.
Diagnosis and treatment plan
During your consultation, your transplant surgeon will talk to you about your health. They will explain the different donation programs available and how the live-kidney donation process works.
Your transplant surgeon will need to know about any health conditions you have that may affect how the surgery takes place.
They will give you a thorough and discreet physical examination, and organise tests to assess your fitness for surgery and establish the right kidney match.
Tests include: MRI Scan CT Scan X-Ray Blood test to check your blood type Tissue typing (HLA) test to evaluate genetic markers
You’ll then be booked in for a pre-operative assessment.
Pre-operative assessment
You’ll have a follow-up pre-operative assessment with your transplant care team and kidney donation coordinator, so they can assess your health in more detail and find a suitable donor.
They will talk to you about your well-being and give you advice on which foods you can and should not eat after surgery. You’ll also receive other helpful lifestyle advice.
Your new kidney
Once a donor is found, your transplant team will organise a ‘crossmatch test’ where a small amount of your blood is mixed with the donor's blood in our pathology department.
If it’s a successful ‘negative crossmatch’ your care team will organise a suitable date for surgery.
To prevent transmissible diseases or complications, we will thoroughly screen your kidney donor before your surgery.
The day of your operation
Your care team will prepare you for surgery and let you know exactly what to expect during the day.
After the operation, we will take you to the recovery suite, so we can look after you while you come round from the anaesthetic.
We’ll then move you to your own en-suite where you can recover in the privacy of your own space.
You’ll stay at The London Clinic for up to a week, or until your transplant surgeon is happy for you to go home.
Aftercare and follow-up
For 6 to 12 months you’ll need to take anti-rejection medication (immunosuppressants) to make sure your immune system doesn’t reject your new kidney.
Your care nurse will start you on the anti-rejection medication immediately after surgery.
Once home, you’ll have a video check-up with your care nurse about your dressings, medications and overall well being.
We’ll arrange weekly follow-up appointments and tests so your surgeon can check you’re doing well and that your new kidney is functioning normally.
Why choose The London Clinic?
Trusted for over 90 years, The London Clinic is an independent charitable hospital that reinvests into care, research, and support for those who can’t easily access private treatment.
The UK’s largest independent hospital
More patients choose The London Clinic than any other.
Top-rated by real patients
4.86/5 from over 1,600 reviews on Doctify and over 4.5 on Google.
Full intensive care on-site
World-class 13-bed ICU for expert support if your care becomes complex.
Investing in clinical excellence
Backed by Northwestern, we equip our teams with cutting-edge medical equipment.
0% Finance Options
We’ve teamed up with Chrysalis to offer you funding options that allow you to spread the cost of your treatment.
If you choose to pay for your treatment at The London Clinic over 12 months, you can make use of a great 0% interest option and pay nothing extra. Or you can choose to pay over two to five years at 14.9% APR.
Trustees of the London Clinic Ltd trading as The London Clinic is an Appointed Representative of Chrysalis Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The London Clinic is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Chrysalis Finance Limited may not be so authorised and regulated. Cancer treatments or transplants aren’t covered by finance packages. Finance options are only available for UK patients.