Alexander H. Toledo: How does kidney transplant surgery work?

How does kidney transplant surgery work?

In 1954, Joseph Murray attempted a type of kidney swap that no doctor had tried before. The surgery was a success, and the patient would go on to live with the transplanted organ thanks to one key factor: it came from his identical twin. 70 years later, nearly 100,000 kidneys are transplanted annually in the US alone. So how does this surgery work today? Alexander H. Toledo explains the procedure. [Directed by Biljana Labović, narrated by Addison Anderson].

Once considered impossible, kidney transplantation now saves nearly 100,000 lives each year in the US. Thanks to advances in immunosuppressive drugs and surgical techniques, patients can receive kidneys from relatives, friends, or even strangers. The procedure offers a long-term alternative to dialysis, vastly improving quality of life. Despite these breakthroughs, a critical shortage of donor kidneys means that 17 people die daily while waiting for a transplant.