A kidney transplant is a surgery that transplants a healthy kidney from a live or deceased donor into an individual whose kidneys do not function well due to end-stage kidney disease.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs situated on either side of the spine just underneath the rib cage. Every kidney is about the size of a clenched hand. Their primary activity is to filter and expel waste, minerals and fluid from the blood by creating urine.
When your kidneys lose this filtering capacity, unsafe levels of fluid and waste build up in your body, which can raise your blood pressure and result in end stage kidney disease. End stage kidney disease happens when the kidneys have lost around 90 percent of their capacity to work normally.
