Plasma Exchange Aids Kidney Transplant Patients

Jul 14, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Plasma Exchange Aids Kidney Transplant Patients
Reporting
Mallika Marshall, MD
BOSTON (WBZ) ―

Daryl Marma was only 14 years old when he was first diagnosed with kidney failure. He ended up going on dialysis four years ago.

Daryl explains, "I did not want to be on dialysis as someone in my early 20's, but that's when we knew something had to be done."

'WATCHING ME DIE'

Daryl's brother desperately wanted to donate one of his kidneys, but didn't have the same blood type. Daryl says, "We were living with each other at the time I was going through dialysis and my brother literally was watching me die."

But then they learned that doctors at Mass General Hospital in Boston were performing an innovative new procedure that allows patients to receive a kidney from a donor with a different blood type.

Daryl became they first patient to undergo a plasma exchange. That, in addition to medication helped to lower the amount of antibodies that would attack his brother's kidney.

Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Mass. General Hospital's Transplant Center explains, "This protocol has been underutilized, if we can truly utilize this protocol, hopefully we can increase the 20 percent more kidney transplant in this region."

'THIS PROCEDURE SAVED MY LIFE'

Daryl says the best part is he also got a chance to save his brother who was an alcoholic at the time. He explains, 'The hospital made him go sober before transplantation so this procedure saved my life and it saved his life."

At least six patients have undergone this new procedure over the past two years and doctors say all of them are doing well.

For more information about the Transplant Center at Mass General, log onto http://www.massgeneral.org/transplant

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