Multi-Hospital Effort Saves Three Lives Through Synchronized Kidney Swap
Mumbai: In a remarkable medical feat, Nanavati Max Hospital, Vile Parle, and Sushrut Hospital, Chembur, successfully conducted a multi-hospital, three-pair domino kidney transplant, offering a new lease on life to three patients suffering from end-stage kidney failure.
Complex Procedure Overcomes Blood Group Mismatches
The groundbreaking procedure involved six simultaneous surgeries across both hospitals on March 18. This intricate transplant chain enabled three incompatible donor-recipient pairs from different families to exchange kidneys, bypassing blood group mismatches and enhancing transplant success.
- A 36-year-old Mumbai resident on dialysis for two years received a kidney from a 50-year-old woman after his own mother donated her kidney to a 57-year-old patient.
- The 57-year-old woman’s husband, who was incompatible with her, donated his kidney to a 25-year-old dialysis technician from Ratnagiri.
- The technician’s mother then donated her kidney to complete the chain by helping the 36-year-old recipient.
Medical Experts Highlight the Significance of Domino Transplants
All three transplants were successfully completed, and the patients are now recovering.
Dr. Jatin Kothari, Director of Nephrology and Chief Consultant, Renal Transplant Medicine at Nanavati Max Hospital, emphasized the importance of domino transplants, stating:
“This approach offers hope to patients enduring long waits for cadaveric organs. A unified registry of unmatched donor-recipient pairs across hospitals could enable more life-saving transplant chains.”
Dr. Vivek Talaulikar, Director and COO – Western Region, Max Healthcare, added:
“This three-pair domino transplant underscores our commitment to pioneering renal care. Expanding such coordinated transplants across hospitals can significantly reduce unmatched donor-recipient cases, easing both clinical and financial burdens.”
This successful procedure demonstrates the potential of multi-hospital transplant networks to transform kidney donation, offering renewed hope to countless patients on waiting lists.
