A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure that involves implanting a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a person whose kidneys are no longer functioning correctly.

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs positioned directly below the rib cage on each side of the spine. Each one is roughly the size of a fist. Their primary purpose is to produce urine, which filters and removes waste, minerals, and fluid from the blood.

When the kidneys lose their ability to filter, hazardous quantities of fluid and waste collection in the body, raise blood pressure and leading to kidney failure (end-stage renal disease). End-stage renal disease happens when the kidneys have lost around 90% of their normal function.

End-stage renal disease is caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Diabetes is characterized by uncontrolled high blood pressure.
• Chronic glomerulonephritis is inflammation and eventual scarring of the kidney's small filters.
• Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)

To survive, people with the end-stage renal illness must have waste removed from their bloodstream via a machine (dialysis) or a kidney transplant.