First Internal Paired Kidney Exchange Completed at LLUMC

LOMA LINDA>> Two adults now have a longer, healthier life ahead of them thanks to two complete strangers. The first internal paired kidney exchange was successfully completed at Loma Linda University Medical Center in November. The chain began with an altruistic donor from Orange County who gave a kidney to an individual from the Inland Empire. That recipient had a donor that was not a compatible match and was able to give to another individual in need of a kidney. The four surgeries took place Monday, Nov. 28. One of the recipients of the kidney exchange had been on the deceased donor list for nine years, which although is a long span of time, is not uncommon. Most patients wait as long as five to ten years to receive a kidney from a deceased donor. “Living-donor chains have the potential to dramatically reduce transplant waiting times for thousands of patients,” said Rafael Villicana, MD, a transplant nephrologist and the medical director of the kidney transplant program at Loma Linda University (LLU) Transplantation Institute. "This is the best way for patients with incompatible donors to be transplanted quickly and to achieve the best results." Having a living donor can eliminate the wait. But in one-third of such cases, a transplant cannot be done because the immune systems of the patient and a willing donor do not match. Each chain begins when an altruistic person steps forward to donate a kidney, expecting nothing in return. While Loma Linda has been involved in other kidney exchanges, this is the first one that was all done in house. Approximately 130 kidney transplants are performed at LLUMC annually. LLUMC has been doing kidney transplants since 1967, as the hospital will be celebrating 50 years of kidney transplantation in April 2017. The LLU Transplantation Institute also shares the Loma Linda University Health concept of “whole-person care,” providing extensive counseling on diet and healthy lifestyle, as well as organizing support groups for patients and their caregivers in an environment that welcomes each person’s spirituality and individuality. The Transplantation Institute oversees adult and pediatric heart transplants, adult liver transplants, adult and pediatric kidney transplants, adult pancreatic transplants and pediatric bone marrow transplants. Combination transplants are performed as needed, including kidney/pancreas, liver/kidney, liver/pancreas, and heart/kidney.