Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The latest, longest kidney exchange chain, involving 68 people, 34 transplants

The National Kidney Registry has completed a new, long non-simultaneous nondirected donor chain, maybe the longest to date. Here are some stories, from the local press at some of the hospitals involved.

Kidney exchange in which Allegheny General Hospital participates enables 34 transplants
 "A Somerset County man and 33 other renal disease patients received new kidneys this year in an unprecedented national chain of organ transplants, Allegheny General Hospital announced Wednesday.
The North Side hospital is among 26 domestic transplant centers that participated in the exchange, run through March by the nonprofit National Kidney Registry. It is the largest multi-center paired kidney exchange so far in the United States, the registry said."

The final link: UW Hospital completes longest chain of kidney donations

"A Wisconsin woman received the final kidney transplant at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in March, completing the longest chain of kidney donations.

"UW Hospital is a member of the National Kidney Registry, an organization that works to match kidney donors with recipients for transplants. The registry organized the completed kidney chain, which started and ended at UW Hospital.
...
"Of the 68 people in the kidney chain, 34 donors and 34 recipients, five were connected through UW Hospital, Miller said."

D.C., Md., Va. hospitals participate in largest-ever multi-hospital kidney transplant chain
"With 34 donors and 34 recipients, Chain 357, nicknamed a “chain of love,” is the country's largest-ever multi-hospital kidney transplant chain. The National Kidney Registry worked with 26 hospitals across the country to make sure every link of the chain connected.
"Since Jan. 6, the chain has bounced across the country, including stops at MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute in Washington, D.C.; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Va.; and two bouts at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Md."