Domino donations reduce kidney transplant wait

A BREAKTHROUGH kidney donor program is reducing transplant waiting lists and giving a new lease on life to donors and recipients.

The “domino paired kidney program”, which is exclusive to WA, began with an anonymous “altruistic” donor who gave up a kidney for transplant to a suitable stranger on the waiting list.

The partner of that recipient then donated their kidney to an anonymous recipient and so forth, creating a domino effect.

WA Kidney Exchange Program director Professor Paolo Ferrari established the program in October 2007 and led a team of transplant physicians and surgeons in performing the first “domino paired kidney transplant” last November.

“Domino transplants are an exciting new strategy to tackle the shortage of donor kidneys for patients needing transplants,” he said.

Prof Ferrari said the program was still young and had received scepticism.

“There are obvious theoretical issues of receiving from and donating a kidney to a stranger, but both the recipient and donor can now see the successful result and understand the benefits for both parties,” he said.

East Fremantle residents Julie and Mathew Clements are a husband and wife donor and recipient who joined the program after Mr Clements had been on dialysis for 11 months at the Melville Satellite Dialysis Unit.

A suitable donor for Mr Clements was found within four months, fast tracking his wait for a transplant which be up to five years.

Mr Clements said the reduced waiting time had made it worthwhile.

“If you ask anyone needing a kidney transplant, they will tell you that they don’t want to have to report to this machine,” he said.

“I feel fantastic, I feel completely normal. I can travel. I can play golf and drink.”

Mrs Clements said she felt empowered as a donor and enjoyed the feeling of helping someone else.

“It was such a huge honour,” she said.

“I felt like a soldier - its one of the proudest things I’ve done.

“They say the donor doesn’t get anything out of it, but you do.”

The exchange of kidneys was previously illegal in Western Australia but Prof Ferrari lobbied to the government and legislation was changed in 2007.

Prof Ferrari said he expected a national paired kidney exchange program to be established in 2009.

“If we can facilitate an exchange of knowledge with other surgeons in hospitals throughout Australia, we can start undertaking more of these procedures and hopefully ease the burden on transplant waiting lists,” he said.

What everyone else is thinking

lotta

03/03/2009

I am so pleased we are starting to think outside the square - too late to save my dearest godmother but hopefully this will gain momentum and rollout through Australia - my gratitude to Professor Ferrari and team for their efforts in changing the legislation.

Nava Abramoff

01/03/2009

This story touch my heart, and I think that to save someone life is like to save a whole world. Good luck

elise

26/02/2009

It is great to read a story about people doing kind deeds for others, especially when their actions lead to another person having an improved standard of living.