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Swap Kidney Transplantation in Bhubaneswar

Swap Kidney Transplantations

Swap Kidney Transplantation in Bhubaneswar

Kidney failure is a major health concern, and sometimes the only medical solution is a Kidney Transplant. Most kidney failure patients receive a transplant from either a living or dead donor. The rest remain on Dialysis, unable to find a suitable deceased donor, do not have a family donor, or have an incompatible match. New avenues, such as Swap Kidney Transplantation, are being explored to overcome the shortage of transplantable organs. 

Paired or Swap Kidney Transplantation in Bhubaneswar involves the exchange of kidneys among related donors and recipients from two different families if their cross-match test is negative. The cross-match test is the diagnostic procedure that determines the donor-recipient match for Kidney Transplants. If the results are positive, Kidney Transplantation is discouraged, as it could lead to organ rejection. Swap Kidney Transplants are planned with another pair having similar test results, offering an alternative treatment for those with incompatible matches.

FAQ's

A Swap Kidney Transplantation includes the exchange of kidneys between two families that were unable to donate kidneys to their own family members due to organ incompatibility. The kidney swap allows kidney failure patients to proceed with the transplant procedure. Once the match is confirmed, you will be informed, and the procedure can be scheduled in the hospital of your choice. In paired kidney exchanges, two living donor transplants happen on the same day.

Common reasons to swap kidneys are:

  • Patients with kidney failure have a blood group compatible donor, but their lymphocyte cross-match is positive

  • Kidney failure patients have a suitable donor within the family, but the donor has tested positive for hepatitis B or C

  • Patients with an elderly donor can participate in a kidney swap to get a better donor

  • Patients with kidney failure who have a family donor but whose blood groups are incompatible

  • Potential donors and recipients undergo an evaluation to assess their fitness to have surgery

  • If the donor and recipient are eligible for transplant, they can register for Swap Kidney Transplantation

  • When a suitable match is found, the respective recipient and donors are notified

  • Donors undergo donation surgery, and their kidneys travel to the receiving centre, where recipients undergo transplants

Donors and recipients must undergo blood tests to see if they are good matches. The organ matching happens based on three factors:

 

  • Blood type matching: Individuals can have a blood type of O, A, B, or AB. It is ideal for the donor and recipient to have matching blood types.

  • Tissue type (HLA) typing: Blood tests are performed to analyse the tissue type of the donor and recipient and the level of HLA antibodies in the recipient’s blood. Antibodies in the body help fight disease. A recipient with antibodies is sensitised to the HLA type, which can adversely affect the transplanted organ.

  • Crossmatching: These blood tests show if the recipient has antibodies against the donor cells. The recipient’s immune system will attack the donated organ if the antibody level is high. The result of cross-matching can be either of the two:

                              - Positive crossmatch: The result indicates the donor and recipient are incompatible. A transplant is not possible for this pair. A Swap Kidney Transplant is the best method to get a transplant.

                                 - Negative crossmatch: The donor and recipient are compatible and can undergo a Kidney Transplant with direct donation or through a Swap Kidney Transplant.

Depending on the individual's health, the donor evaluation can take a few months to a year. For an incompatible pair, the average wait time is 3 to 6 months. For a difficult-to-match blood-to-tissue type, obtaining a suitable donor-recipient can take longer. 

The benefits of Swap Kidney Transplantation are:

  • It reduces the waiting period for transplantation in comparison to cadaveric transplants

  • Shorter duration of Dialysis, due to reduced wait time

  • Cost-effective compared to other treatment options

  • Provides the best long-term kidney function to patients with chronic kidney disease 

Yes, permission from the state government authority is required before Swap Kidney Transplant. It may take around a month to get the legal permission.

The problems that could prevent the Swap Kidney Transplantation from moving forward or cause it to take longer are:

  • As a donor, if you opt out of the program, it can halt the Kidney Transplantation

  • If you have hard-to-match blood or tissue types, the procedure may take longer

  • A change in the donor’s health can interrupt the procedure

  • If the donor has any underlying medical condition, they will not be allowed to proceed with organ donation

 

In rare circumstances, the swap may fail even if the donor donates but their original intended recipient does not get the kidney. In such cases, the transplant centres prioritise the recipients needing the kidney and make every effort to find a new match and move forward with the transplant as soon as possible. However, you must remember that no Swap Kidney Transplantation program can guarantee that the intended recipient will get the kidney.

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