Paired kidney donation is a new option that can help some of the estimated 7,000 awaiting kidney transplantation nationally who have family members or friends willing to donate a kidney, but who are not able to because their blood or tissue type is not compatible with the patient’s.
With a paired kidney transplant, two incompatible donor-recipient pairs “exchange” kidneys, making two compatible living donor transplants possible.
California Pacific is using a new computer program called Matchmaker, developed by one of our transplant recipients with our physicians, to identify donor-recipient pairs who may match. See our handout (.pdf file) for more information.
How does a paired kidney donation work?
Paired kidney donation is an option for patients in need of a kidney transplant who have a living donor whose blood or tissue type is not compatible. 
With a paired donation, kidneys can be matched between two pairs consisting of a recipient and his/her incompatible donor, making two compatible living donor transplants possible. In Pair 1, Donor 1 is not compatible with Recipient 1. In Pair 2, Donor 2 is not compatible with Recipient 2.
However, Donor 1 is compatible with Recipient 2 and Donor 2 is compatible with Recipient 1. If you, your donor and the other pair are willing to participate in this "exchange," a comprehensive evaluation process begins.
A number of institutions -- most notably, Johns Hopkins’ Transplant Program -- have pioneered the notion of a paired kidney donation. Nationally, relatively few paired kidney donations have been performed.
Why is paired kidney donation of interest?
For those facing kidney transplantation, a living donor transplant offers the best outcomes. Unfortunately, about 40% to 50% of potential donor candidates are found to be incompatible with their recipient. Historically, if no other compatible living donors are identified, the recipient then waits on the kidney transplant list for a deceased donor.
Currently there are about 75,000 patients nationally waiting for a kidney transplant. Locally, the waiting time is about 5 years. With paired kidney donation, medical literature suggestions that about 1 in 5 individuals with an incompatible living donor(s) can find a compatible donor-recipient pair, thus making a living donor transplant a possibility. Consequently, patients can be removed from the national waiting list for a transplant if a compatible living donor is found.
What are the benefits of paired kidney donation?
Historically, patients who had an incompatible living donor(s) would need to wait for a deceased donor. This wait can be lengthy. In contrast, paired kidney donation may shorten one’s waiting time for a kidney transplant if a matching donor-recipient pair is identified. Paired kidney donation also enables one to have a living donor transplant, which has better short-term and long-term success after transplant.
I’m on the waiting list at California Pacific for a kidney transplant and my living donor(s) is incompatible. How do I find out if there may be another donor-recipient pair with whom a paired kidney transplant may work?
To date, the Kidney Team has run data for interested donor-recipient pairs on our kidney transplant wait list. This data was entered into a new software, Silverstone Solution’s Matchmaker©, to identify potentially compatible donor-recipient pair(s) with whom a paired kidney transplant may be feasible. If you are on the waiting list at California Pacific and are interested in paired donation, please conact us.
Our experience, as well as that in existing literature, suggests that an individual has about a 1 in 5 chance of finding a compatible donor-recipient pair.
If a suitable match is found, how will I find out? What are the next steps?
Once two compatible donor-recipient pairs are identified from the Matchmaker software, the Kidney Team notifies all parties to determine if they are willing to participate in a paired kidney donation. If so, a comprehensive evaluation process begins of both the donor and recipient. Only after our team gives medical and surgical clearance to both donors and recipients will a transplant date be discussed.
After the Kidney Team completes final clearance, we will schedule the transplant on a date that works with everyone. Both transplants will occur on the same day.
Does a paired kidney transplant recipient get to meet his/her donor?
The Kidney Team maintains the privacy between paired kidney donation pairs during the entire transplant process. If, however, all four parties request a meeting, the Kidney Team can arrange it.
Who can I contact for more information?
If you have additional questions regarding California Pacific’s Paired Kidney Donation Transplant Program, please contact us via email at kidneypair@sutterhealth.org or by phone at 1-877-4-CPMC-TX (1-877-427-6289).