Different Blood Types May No Longer Present a Barrier to Live Kidney Donation
New protocols consisting of medications, spleen removal, and a form of blood filtering called plasmapheresis are allowing candidates to receive kidneys from live donors with blood types that have traditionally been deemed incompatible.
Until now, a transplant patient could only receive an organ from someone of the same blood type*. For example, a recipient with blood type A could only receive a kidney from a donor with an A blood type. An organ from a different blood group would be perceived as foreign and vulnerable to attack by the recipient's natural antibodies.
Now, through a process of immune conditioning, a recipient is able to receive a kidney from a donor of a different blood type. This new procedure is currently being provided at a limited number of transplant centers.
The new protocol involves testing the proposed recipient to assess the risk of rejection from harmful antibodies. Next the recipient undergoes plasmapheresis, a process involving the removal of the plasma portion of the blood that contains harmful antibodies and the administration of a medication to prevent their production. The patient is then ready to undergo transplant surgery where, in addition to receiving a donor organ, the patient's spleen is removed using minimally invasive surgical techniques. In some cases, spleen removal can be avoided through the use of a new drug that creates similar effects.
Post-transplant, the patient undergoes additional plasmapheresis treatments before being discharged from the hospital. He or she will then take the same immunosuppression medications as patients receiving a compatible kidney.
* Blood type “O,” as a universal donor can give to any of the blood types, but a potential recipient with blood type “O” can only could receive an “O” organ.
