Dr. Virendra Chauhan

+91 9503815011

drvirendra91@yahoo.com

Dr. Virendra Chauhan

MBBS, DNB Medicine, DrNB Nephrology

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Swap Transplants

swap

Swap Transplants

Swap transplants, also known as paired exchange or paired donation transplants, are a type of kidney transplant strategy used when a recipient and their potential living donor are incompatible due to blood type or immunological reasons. Here’s how swap transplants work:

Incompatibility

In a traditional kidney transplant scenario, a donor is typically a family member or friend who is willing to donate a kidney to the intended recipient. However, sometimes the donor and recipient are not compatible due to:

Blood Type Incompatibility: The donor and recipient have different blood types, which can lead to rejection of the donor kidney.

Crossmatch Incompatibility: Even if the blood types are compatible, the recipient may have antibodies against the donor's tissue, which can cause rejection.

Exchange Process

Donor A from Pair 1 donates a kidney to Recipient B from Pair 2.

Donor B from Pair 2 donates a kidney to Recipient A from Pair 1.

This way, both recipients receive a compatible kidney from a donor who was not originally intended for them.

Advantages

Increased Access to Transplant: : Swap transplants increase the pool of potential donors for recipients who would otherwise not have a compatible donor.

Shorter Waiting Times: By participating in a swap program, recipients may receive a kidney transplant sooner than waiting for a deceased donor organ.

Improved Outcomes: Living donor kidneys generally have better long-term outcomes compared to kidneys from deceased donors.

swap transplants are an innovative strategy to expand access to kidney transplantation for recipients who have incompatible donors. They involve matching incompatible donor-recipient pairs with other pairs to create compatible matches, thereby increasing the chances of successful kidney transplantation and improving outcomes for patients with kidney failure.

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