16 Recipients and 17 Donors will be involved November 11-13, 2010 With Transplant Chain Continuing in December
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Sixteen people in need of new kidneys and 17 living donors will be part of the largest single-center paired kidney exchange transplant chain in the world. The transplant procedures will be performed November 11, 12 and 13 through the Texas Transplant Institute (TTI) kidney paired donation (KPD) program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital.
The donation program identifies living donors who wish to give their kidney but cannot because of blood or tissue incompatibility with the recipient. Incompatible pairs are matched with other incompatible pairs, and the donors are exchanged, resulting in compatible transplant combinations.
The chain was put into motion by a female donor without a designated recipient who contacted the program and expressed her desire to donate a kidney to anyone in need of one. The 17th donor or “bridge” donor will then donate a kidney in December that will begin another multiple exchange with eight or nine more people receiving kidney transplants.
“Our experience tells us that paired kidney exchanges are patient-driven and could help about 2,000 patients a year receive a kidney,” said Adam Bingaman, M.D., transplant surgeon and director of the KPD program. We want to educate as many people as possible about this transplant option and our extensive experience in this type of exchange. The more donors we have, the more recipients will receive the kidneys they need.”
This exchange chain differs from multiple patient exchanges that have been performed at other health care facilities in the U.S. because they are taking place at one center, instead of at multiple sites. Another important element is that all recipients will be receiving kidneys fully compatible with their antibodies, eliminating the need for desensitization processes and significantly reducing the risk of rejection.
Typically, there is at least a one-third chance that two people will not be a match. If patients have received a previous transplant, had a blood transfusion or been pregnant, their odds of finding a match can be much lower due to the immune system making antibodies in response to exposure to foreign tissues.
“A special emphasis on blood type and antibody matching has been crucial to the success of the TTI program,” said Dr. Bingaman. “As the largest live donor kidney transplant program in the nation, we can ensure that each exchange transplant recipient receives a kidney from a donor who is a complete match, making it unnecessary to utilize high-risk desensitization therapies often used in other programs to enable a transplant between incompatible pairs.”
About Transplant Chain Participants
Individuals involved in the upcoming transplant chain range in age from 17 to 63. Most have family members or close friends as donors, and some are having their second or third transplant. The individuals represent a number of different races and come from all over Texas, as well as out-of-state pairs from Kansas, Vermont and Virginia.
Six transplants will be performed the first day, with five more the second day and five on the third day. Four transplant surgeons, four surgical assistants, four anesthesiologists, five nephrologists, and more than 150 other staff will be involved.
About the TTI Kidney Paired Donation Program
Since the beginning of the KPD program, the TTI transplant team has accumulated a database of incompatible pairs with nearly 200 candidates in need of a kidney and 300 willing kidney donors, making it the largest live donor kidney transplant program in the nation, according to statistics released by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). Comprehensive analysis of such a large database has allowed each of the exchange transplant recipients to receive a kidney from a donor who is a complete match, making it unnecessary to utilize high risk desensitization therapies often used in other programs to enable a transplant between incompatible pairs.
Results from a study conducted at TTI and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2010 indicate that TTI has increased access to live donor kidney transplantation by 34 percent through kidney paired donation (KPD).
More than 90,000 people are on the national kidney transplant waiting list. The average candidate can wait four to six years for a match to be found. Of these 90,000, 6,000 have a willing donor who is not a match.
About Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital
Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital is home of the nation’s largest live donor kidney transplant program for 2009 and remains on course in 2010 to top the list again. Patients seeking more information about the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital Kidney Paired Donation Program may call 210-575-8425 or 1-800-888-0420.
For media interviews, contact:
Palmira Arellano, 210-325-2295
www.texastransplant.org
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