How do kidney transplants work? - Alexander H. Toledo
150,442 Views
250 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
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.
Kidney donation allows patients in kidney failure to come off dialysis, a stop-gap measure in that individual's health decline, to have much more sustainable health outcomes. What illnesses or diseases can you think of that would benefit from medical advances in a similar way?
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Alexander H. Toledo
- Director Biljana Labović
- Narrator Addison Anderson
- Animator Mengxin Li
- Art Director Mengxin Li
- Sound Designer Weston Fonger
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Abdallah Ewis
- Editorial Producer Shannon Odell
- Script Editor Nidhi Upadhyaya
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
