Who's your donor? Bringing about Louisiana's first domino paired exchange transplants

J La State Med Soc. 2011 Mar-Apr;163(2):102-4.

Abstract

Although living donation is the preferred method of kidney transplant, many donors are not a match with their intended recipient. One unique way of overcoming this is by performing a donor paired exchange. By swapping donors, transplant centers may be able to bring about multiple transplants that would not have otherwise been possible. This manuscript describes the first three way domino paired donor exchange transplant in Louisiana. Because of a single altruistic donor, we were able to facilitate three recipients getting transplanted. We discuss the formulation of this unique program, the choosing of potential donor/recipient pairs and outcomes. A review of the controversies of paired kidney donation is also presented.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Altruism*
  • Blood Group Incompatibility
  • Donor Selection
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kidney Transplantation / immunology
  • Kidney Transplantation / psychology*
  • Louisiana
  • Male
  • Patient Selection
  • Tissue Donors / psychology*
  • Treatment Outcome