NKF Letters

From: The British Transplant Society Ethics Committee

To: National Kidney Federation

Date: 3 May 2000

Dear Sirs,

I would ask you to consider publishing the following on your web site:-

The British Transplantation Society Ethical Committee has been asked for an opinion on “paired exchange” kidney donation.

From time to time, close relatives of kidney patients are unsuitable as living donors due to ABO blood group incompatibility. In any transplant unit there may be more than one such incompatible but willing donor and recipient pair and the possibility of "swopping" kidneys between pairs to achieve ABO blood group compatibility arises. Is this acceptable? Currently the Human Organ Transplants Act probably prohibits such transplants since “coercion” is involved ie “I will only donate if my relative receives a kidney in return”.

Such “swops” have been done in the USA and a register of suitable donors has been proposed. Mexico has also reported this having taken place. Only a very small number of cases will exist but even if two patients benefit it should be considered.

There are logistical problems and both removal and transplant operations would have to take place at the same time. Should the pairs meet?

Any opinions are welcomed and should be sent to:

The British Transplant Society Ethics Committee Secretary,
Dr Phil DYER,
Transplantation Laboratory,
Manchester Royal Infirmary,
Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9WL,
UK

Tel: 0161 276 6397
Email: pdyer@central.cmht.nwest.nhs.uk

The National Kidney Federation cannot accept responsibility for the views expressed by others in these letters pages.

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