Immunology, kidney transplantation and anesthesia.

The morbidity of transplantation is considerably decreased and the mortality of cadaver transplants from sepsis has been reduced to 5% or less as the result of excessive immunosuppression therapy and reduced infection. There is uniform agreement that renal transplantation has the best potential for restoring a patient with end-stage renal failure to his normal state of physical, mental, and psycho-social health. Both regional and general anesthesia have their drawbacks in kidney transplants. However, by combining the practice of safe anesthesia, improved surgical techniques, and better knowledge of the immunosuppressant drugs, there is near perfect control over the possibility of kidney rejection in kidney transplantation between identical twins.