Kidney removal Health Article

After the Procedure

You will stay in the hospital for 2 to 7 days, depending on the type of the surgery you have. During a hospital stay, you may:

• Be asked to sit on the side of the bed and walk on the same day at surgery
• Have a tube, or catheter, that comes from your bladder
• Have a drain that comes out through your surgical cut
• Not be able to eat the first 1 to 3 days, and then you will begin with liquids
• Be encouraged to do breathing exercises
• Wear special stockings to prevent blood clots
• Receive shots under your skin to prevent blood clots
• Receive pain medicine into your veins or pills

Recovering from open surgery may be painful because of where the surgical cut is. Recovery after a laparoscopic procedure is usually quicker, with less pain.

Outlook (Prognosis)

The outcome is usually good when a single kidney is removed. If both kidneys are removed, or the remaining kidney does not work well enough, you will need hemodialysis or a kidney transplant.

References

Novick AC. Open surgery of the kidney. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 50.