POST-KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENTS CARE

Post-Kidney Transplant Patients Care



Post-Kidney Transplant Patients Care

Introduction

Kidney transplantation offers patients with chronic kidney failure hope of a better quality of life (QOL) and the possibility of longer survival. The success of kidney transplantation depends, in part, on the availability and stability of a nonprofessional primary caregiver, usually the nurse, to assist the patient in managing the needs of chronic kidney disease and subsequent transplantation. Indeed, the absence of the informal care provided to patients is offered by most kidney transplantation programs in the United Kingdom, to be an absolute or a relative contraindication to transplant listing. Greater availability and/or higher quality support throughout the transplant process is associated with better psychological adjustment in patients, more optimal adherence behaviours and longer survival.

Discussion

During surgery, the surgeon transplant places a healthy kidney in your body. The donated kidney does the work of two kidneys that work poorly. There is no need for dialysis with this surgical treatment (Brenner, 2000). Although most patients receive kidney transplants after starting on dialysis, patients can also choose the transplant before starting dialysis. To many patients, kidney transplantation has become the treatment choice for renal failure (Adams, 2002).

The care of the kidney transplant patients after the operation is a crucial task for any nurse. The nursing care provided to patients who have undergone a kidney transplant is quite similar to the care provided to patients who under went through any serious surgery (Anil and Charles, 1994). The is a significant emphasis on maintaining the electrolyte and fluid balance, management of pain, taking care of wounds, providing good pulmonary toilet with spirometry incentives, restoring the elimination of the normal bowel and early ambulation. The recovery of the upper GI function is least complicated. Constipation is the most common that arises after the retroperitoneal dissection and corticosteroids and phosphate binders (Assmus, 2006).

It is the core responsibility of a nurse to apply an in depth knowledge regarding the transplantation of organs; and to plan, assess, utilize and implement evidence based practice approaches, in order to evaluate the measures taken to assess the care of the transplant patient (Boehler, 2003). The nurse is also responsible for analysing the sociological, biological and psychological effects of kidney transplant on the patient. The nurse should possess a skill to analyze the validity and efficacy of therapeutic interventions; and to evaluate the systems of quality assurance in the kidney transplant setting.

During the post-operative period, the nurses focus on optimizing the functions of the new kidney and makes sure that it is not rejected. It is the duty of a nurse to take all the preventive measures in order to overcome the complications that may arise after the surgery (Brenner, 2000).

The drug therapy is another most important treatment that is provided to the post-kidney transplant patients in order to prevent the rejection of the transplanted kidney (Changelian, 2003). The nurses provide special immunosuppressive medicines in order to stop the immune system from attacking the newly transplanted ...