Expanding the living organ donor pool: Positive crossmatch and ABO incompatible renal transplantation

There is a significant shortage of donor kidneys. As a result, kidney transplant candidates wait for prolonged periods of time for an organ, and over eight die every day while awaiting a kidney transplant. To improve this situation, the transplant community has actively sought creative solutions to the organ shortage. Many patients have willing live donors who are excluded from donation due to a positive crossmatch or blood group incompatibility. Plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin in combination can efficiently remove antibodies against donor tissue and blood group antigens and prevent these antibodies from returning after transplantation. Both strategies are complex but have good success rates and provide an opportunity for transplantation to those who might wait years for an organ or die waiting on the list. Knowledge of these novel protocols is essential for the nephrology nurse who is often the first health care provider to discuss transplantation with end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
There is no question that there is a severe shortage of available kidney donors. Currently, there I are over 54,000 people awaiting a kidney transplant. In 2001, 14,242 kidney transplants [...]