Surgeons at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have successfully completed their 100th kidney swap - a procedure popularized there to enlarge the pool of kidneys available for donation and provide organs to patients who might have died waiting for them. The 100th kidney paired donation (KPD) was performed on Wendy Crowder, a 40-year-old Virginia woman on Dec. 15, 2009.

One form of kidney swap relies on a so-called "domino donor" effect, made possible by altruistic donors willing to donate a kidney to any needy person and other willing donors who are not a match for their loved ones. The donors who are not a match agree to participate in a swap with other incompatible pairs. By exchanging kidneys between pairs, each sick person involved gets a compatible kidney.

 

Incompatible kidney matches are made possible by a complex computer algorithm that links up compatible donors and recipients, but the program has limitations. There is no national database of donors and recipients, only smaller regional or single-center clearinghouses of information. With a small pool, only a limited number of matches can be made, while a national program could come up with 1,500 more matches per year. In a move towards realizing this goal, the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network announced it will coordinate a pilot project to facilitate kidney swaps between the four leading kidney paired donation organizations, including Johns Hopkins.

Most kidney transplant candidates are willing to receive a kidney from a donor at increased risk of viral infection, according to a study appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest kidney disease patients can make rational tradeoffs between the benefits and risks of donated kidneys.

Because thousands of patients die each year in the United States while waiting for a kidney transplant, greater efforts are needed to expand the pool of kidneys for transplantation. These efforts might include allowing patients to receive less-than-ideal organs, for example from deceased individuals at increased risk of viral infection. Researchers found patients were more likely to accept a kidney from risky donors when the donor was younger, HIV risk was lower and when the waiting time was longer. Also, patients on dialysis and older patients more commonly accepted such kidneys. Increasing the use of kidneys from donors at increased risk of viral infections could improve access to kidney transplantation.

With AAKP's 2010 Annual Convention coming up, it's important to make plans to attend this spectacular 3-day event as soon as possible. This year, the AAKP Convention takes place Sept. 2 - 4, in Tampa, Florida, and features the latest research on kidney disease and its treatment options, exciting social events and an exhibit hall filled with renal-related companies and products.

• The Great Debate - Compensation for Organ Donation: How Much Is Too Much?
• Generic vs Name Brand Transplant Drugs - Is There a Difference?
• My Transplant Is Failing: What Are My Options?
• and much more!

The risk for infection-related cancers in kidney transplant recipients falls dramatically when immunosuppression is stopped after graft failure, according to a study from Australia and New Zealand. Researchers found the risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lip cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma and melanoma returned to normal within weeks after immunosuppression was discontinued. This study is the first to examine what happens after the drugs are no longer administered. The study shows that for these four cancer types, the effect of immune deficiency in increasing cancer risk is clearly and quickly reversible when immune deficiency stops. However, similar reductions were not found for leukemia or for cancers of the lung, thyroid, kidney or urinary tract.

AAKP has announced the resignation of its Executive Director, Kim Buettner. Buettner has accepted a position within the Education and Patient Advisory Program of a large Tampa based cancer treatment and research center. "For more than 10 years, Kim has held a career with AAKP. She has served the Association in several roles and during the past year, as the executive director, she has demonstrated her passion and commitment toward patient education," said AAKP President Roberta "Bobbi" Wager, RN, MSN. "Her departure saddens the Board and staff, however, we are happy to see her advancing in an area for which she holds such an interest." Buettner's last day is April 15. The Board has developed a search committee and is conducting a national search for an executive director. For additional information, please send an e-mail to info@aakp.org.

AAKP is calling on patients, family members, health care professionals and friends of the kidney community to apply to be a part of the AAKP National Board of Directors. The AAKP Board of Directors is responsible for establishing goals and policies for the Association. In addition, Board members are responsible for attending three meetings per year, participation in conference calls and committee membership. In keeping with the bylaws of the Association, more than 50 percent of the National Board of Directors must be comprised of kidney disease patients.  

KidneyLink is a program for anyone desiring more information about the kidney transplant process. The goal of KidneyLink is to provide those in need of a kidney transplant, as well as potential kidney donors, the basic information needed to make educated decisions regarding this life-changing event. KidneyLink.org offers easy-to-understand information about the various forms of kidney transplants as well as interactive transplant center maps and statistics, FAQ's on kidney donations, patient stories and tips on how to talk with others about the need for a kidney. KidneyLink was created by and is maintained by the PKD Foundation.