Simultaneous Six Way Kidney Transplant a Success
Posted on: Wednesday, 9 April 2008, 02:35 CDT
Surgeons at John Hopkins Hospital successfully transplanted six kidneys from unrelated living donors in an unprecedented series of operations, hospital officials announced Tuesday.The surgery, which took place on Saturday, combined the efforts of nine surgical teams and almost 100 medical professionals who worked with six patients for more than 13 hours.
"All 12 are doing great, the six kidneys are working well," said Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of Hopkins' transplant center and head of the transplant team.
The so-called six way “domino” kidney transplants were made possible largely in part by use of kidneys from donors who had already died. Doctors were able to match kidneys starting with one altruistic donor who was willing to donate to anyone, followed by donations from family members or friends of the remaining five candidates.
Randy Bolten, whose brother is President Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, was among the donors . He couldn't donate a kidney to his wife, Jeanne Heise, but he was a match for another recipient.
"It takes six people off the list and gives each the best possible kidney - a live kidney - and allows six other people to advance on the list," said Montgomery.
Montgomery said the surgeries were performed simultaneously to ensure that none of the donors back out after their loved one has received a new kidney.
Last week, surgeons at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital performed simultaneous transplants of four kidneys.
In recent years, Johns Hopkins Hospital has performed several triple transplants as well as one quintuple transplant in 2006.
"We want to spread the word about this sort of group surgery and living organ donation," Heise said in a statement issued by the National Kidney Foundation of Northern California.
"The waiting list for a kidney is very long and too many people die while waiting. With this group procedure, more and more people can beat kidney disease and live long productive lives."
More than 252,000 kidney transplants have been performed in the United States since the United Network for Organ Sharing started keeping data in 1988; 87,000 of the kidneys came from living donors. There have been only 301 transplants performed through so-called paired kidney exchange, including 122 in 2007, spokeswoman Amanda Claggett said, adding that more than 75,000 people are waiting for kidney transplants and 4,352 died while waiting for a kidney last year.
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On the net:
Johns Hopkins Hospital
United Network for Organ Sharing
Source: redOrbit Staff and Wire Reports
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