This hospital holds the world record for kidney transplants… thanks to donations!

On December 6, a hospital in the United States called Penn Transplant Institute reached an important milestone. The medical team performed their 100th kidney transplant over a period of one year. “This achievement reflects not only our commitment to excellence in patient care, but also the spirit of innovation that defines the hospital”, said Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, professor of renal electrolyte and hypertension. This world record could not have been achieved “without the countless number of people who choose to donate a kidney to a loved one, a neighbor or sometimes even a complete stranger. Their act of generosity often inspires others to do the same”, she added in a statement.

Kidney transplant: “paired exchange” makes it possible to expand the group of potential donors and beneficiaries

The researcher explained that in December 2022, the Penn Transplant Institute launched the “Center for Living Donation” to provide valuable resources to transplant recipients and donors, such as mentors who have been through the donation process themselves. and can reassure patients throughout the transplant journey. In detail, this program, coordinated by the National Kidney Registry (NKR), helps people in need of a kidney transplant who know a willing but poorly compatible or incompatible living donor. For example, a friend or sibling who is not compatible with a loved one due to genetics, but is nonetheless motivated to participate in an exchange. “Paired exchange” gives this living donor a chance to help both their loved one and others, thereby expanding the pool of potential donors and recipients. It is then the National Kidney Registry which strives to identify and link compatible donor-patient duos.

In the United States, the waiting time for a kidney transplant is between 5 and 8 years

Over time, the Penn Transplant Institute medical team has expanded with surgeons, nephrologists, nurses and professionals in fields ranging from social work to pharmacy, nutrition and physical therapy. This multidisciplinary team, which works to orchestrate the paired exchanges every day, has promoted the improvement of patient outcomes. It has also advanced medical science, as each year 4,000 people in the United States die while waiting to receive a transplant, with a wait time of between five and eight years.

“Anyone who participates in paired exchanges will understand the magnitude of Penn Transplant Institute’s success. The hospital has proven it is possible and now many transplant centers will cross the threshold of 100 kidney transplants in the next decade, facilitating thousands of additional life-saving living donor kidney transplants,” concluded Garet Hil, founder and CEO of the National Kidney Registry and living kidney donor.