Extraordinary triple kidney swap as three people donate organs to total strangers to save a loved one's lifeBy Chris Brooke
Last updated at 12:45 AM on 08th March 2010
Three patients have received new kidneys in a single day during a set of linked transplants that spanned the country.
The extraordinary - and successful - three-way swap took place after matches were found on a national database for patients who each had a loved one willing to give a kidney to a stranger.
It involved flying organs between London and Edinburgh for the simultaneous operations at three hospitals. Each patient received a kidney from a stranger who in turn had a loved one who gave a kidney to a stranger.
Andrew Mullen, 53, from Aberdeen, agreed to give up a kidney to help his wife Andrea, 54.
Enlarge triple transplant
It is understood that Mr Mullen's organ was donated to Chris Brent, 42, from Kent and in exchange his sister Lisa Burton, 45, gave away a kidney to a third patient Tim Thakrar, 32, from Hertfordshire.
To complete the circle Mr Thakrar's wife Linsey was able to donate a kidney to Mrs Mullen.
It is believed to be only the second three-way transplant since the Human Tissue Act made such operations legal in 2004. Patients involved in the first remain anonymous.
The surgical teams acted under strict guidelines and the participants were not allowed to know anything about any of the others before the transplants took place.
Everyone was said to be 'delighted' with the outcome. Their identities have now been released, more than three months after the operations took place in Edinburgh and two London hospitals on December 4 last year.
Although they have not officially been told which patients received kidneys from which patients, those involved have been able to work it out because Mr Brent was aware his organ was coming from Scotland. And one of the donors is due to meet the man she gave her kidney to at a TV studio this morning.
Mrs Mullen, a mother-of-two and housewife, was struck down by a rare condition three years ago which caused her immune system to attack her body and her kidneys to fail. She has been having dialysis three times a week ever since.
She said: 'Before, I was so ill that I didn't have a life. Now, I'm feeling better than I have done for years.'
Her husband, a site manager in the oil industry, and his wife were both operated on at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
He said: 'When you see your wife ill for so long you don't think twice about doing something that is going to make her better. She was my main priority, but the fact that three people have benefited makes it even better.'
Former sound engineer Chris Brent, of Bexleyheath, is believed to have received Mr Mullen's kidney and went under the knife at Guy's Hospital in London.
It was Mr Brent's second such transplant and because of this, it was even more difficult to find a match.
His sister Lisa, a married medical secretary and mother of two from East Sussex, volunteered to be his donor. She was not a suitable tissue match but her details were entered on a national database of donors and patients.
'I am absolutely delighted that I have done it,' she said. 'The doctors have all been fantastic.'
Every move must be carefully co-ordinated between the three transplant teams and carried out in as short a time as possible to reduce the chances of any problem that could ruin the whole arrangement.
Everyone taking part in 'living donor' transplants must be put through medical and psychological tests. Checks are also carried out to ensure they are not being coerced.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1256162/Extraordinary-triple-kidney-swap-people-donate-organs-total-strangers-save-loved-ones-life.html#ixzz0hYBDIQ0V
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