Multiple kidney transplants a successBy Brian Malnes and Steve Graff The Denver Post
Article Launched: 07/30/2008 05:55:00 PM MDT
Doctors in Colorado, North Carolina and Alabama successfully - and simultaneously - performed kidney transplants among six patients today.
At the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Denver resident Maggie Mrva, 56, received a kidney from Martha Hansen, 48, of Albuquerque, in an exchange that took about four hours.
"Everything went well," said Dr. Igal Kam, one of the transplant surgeons at the University of Colorado Hospital. "The kidney is already showing signs of function."
The surgery was one of three kidney transplants that began all at once at three hospitals in three times zones across the country.
"It's a wonderful idea," said Dr. Larry Chan, a transplant nephrologist at the University of Colorado Hospital. "It's a great example of how we can come together to maximize donations."
All were made possible through the computer-matching program offered by the Alliance for Paired Donations, a nonprofit organization that seeks to shorten the waiting time for kidney recipients through kidney-paired donations.
Mrva's husband, Slavo, is recovering in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he donated a kidney to an Alabama woman who wished to remain anonymous.
In Wake Forest, N.C., a friend or relative of the Alabama woman (also anonymous) gave a kidney to Hansen's friend Robin (who wishes not to identify herself further.)
Laurie Reece of the Alliance for Paired Donations reports the other two surgeries were also a success, with the four patients resting comfortably.
It was the first time in U.S. history that three linked transplants happened at the same time, said Vonnie Bagwell, the living donor coordinator at CU Denver Health Center.
But making history was the last thing on the minds of the transplant team.
"The most rewarding thing was to introduce the recipient and donor," said a teary-eyed Bagwell, speaking about Mrva and Hansen, who met for the first time yesterday.
And it's great to take another three people who needed kidneys off the transplant list, she added.
There are over 16,000 kidney transplants a year in the United States. This milestone will hopefully pave the way for more, the surgeons agreed.
"It will generate more public awareness about the importance of donating," Dr. Chan said.
Brian Malnes: 303-954-1638 or bmalnes@denverpost.com
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10047249
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