Northwestern Memorial Successfully Completes Rare Four-Way Domino Paired Kidney Exchange Transpla...(s in the greatest need. Unbeknownst to h...),Health

Date:4/8/2008

s in the greatest need. Unbeknownst to him, his act of kindness was the catalyst that set off a chain of compatibility for several recipients, because by adding a fourth transplant candidate who was at the top of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) organ recipient list the transplant team was able to arrange a four-way swap using a living donor matching system. In effect, all four recipients ultimately received compatible kidneys, but they were from donors they had never met.

"More than one-third of living kidney donor-recipient pairs are not compatible," said John Friedewald, MD, transplant nephrologist at Northwestern Memorial. "Paired exchange programs have the potential to dramatically increase the number of patients that receive transplants and reduce time spent on the waiting list."

Thursday's surgery crossed ethnic, gender, racial and language lines and brought together eight individuals that otherwise would never have met, but now are connected for life. Patients ranged in age from 25-65 years and hailed from Chicago and neighboring suburbs, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

"The diverse patient population that we transplanted in this four-way exchange speaks to the larger transplant community and the potential for individuals, regardless of background, to come together in order to donate life by helping others receive the organs they need," said Dr. Leventhal.

Doug Penrod, the Good Samaritan, or altruistic donor, is a Northwestern Memorial employee and 17-year member of the transplant team. He decided to donate his kidney blindly after his intentions to donate to a friend fell through. "After agreeing to donate my kidney once, and then not being able to, I felt I should still go through with the surgery and help out someone else in need," commented Penrod. "I've seen firsthand the good a transplant can do, and I know the risks to the donor are very minimal in both the short and long term. It was the right thing t
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SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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