Kidney Transplant
Kidney Paired Exchange
I have a living donor who doesn’t match. What can I do?
Sometimes a transplant candidate has someone who wants to donate a kidney to them, but tests reveal that the kidney would not be a good medical match. Our goal is to improve the chances of receiving a living donor kidney for those who need one through nationwide paired exchange options. In paired exchange, living donor kidneys are swapped so each recipient receives a compatible transplant.
Legacy Transplant Services will provide information throughout the process to make sure you are making an informed decision that is right for you.
Basic Concepts
Matching
Donor/recipient pairs are entered into the Paired Exchange databases to find a match with other donor/recipient pairs across the nation. Once a match is found, transplant surgery usually occurs within a month.
Chains
Often, donor/recipient matches are done in chains started by a non-directed donor. In a donor chain, the non-directed donor donates to a recipient whose intended donor would then donate to another recipient. The donor at the end of the chain donates to a recipient on the deceased donor waiting list.
Vouchers
A voucher program, also referred to as advanced donation, is a kidney paired exchange separated in time. There are two types of vouchers that allow donors to donate their kidney before an intended recipient receives, or even needs, a kidney transplant.
- Standard Voucher: When a donor donates for an intended recipient who will likely need a transplant within the next year
- Family Voucher: When a donor donates for an intended recipient who will not likely need a transplant within the next year
All vouchers are non-transferable and do not expire.
Waiting Time
Waiting time depends on several factors such as blood type and how many antibodies a person has. Wait times can vary between several weeks to a few months to find an appropriate matched donor. In rare cases, very hard to match recipients can wait longer to find a compatible donor. There is no guarantee a match will be found. The waiting time for a recipient in paired exchange is usually shorter than waiting for a deceased donor kidney.
Paired exchange is an option for...
Non-directed (anonymous) donation
Donating without a specific recipient in mind.
Incompatible donors/recipients
When a recipient and a living kidney donor do not match blood or tissue types (they are incompatible), the pair can agree to “swap” with another donor/recipient pair with whom they are compatible.
Compatible donors/recipients
Even if the donor and recipient are blood and tissue compatible, there are reasons to consider participating in paired exchange. Other common reasons include differences in size or age.
Contact Us
Legacy Transplant Services
1130 N.W. 22nd Ave. Suite 400
Portland, OR 97210
Telephone: 503-413-6555
Fax: 503-415-8402
Email: livingdonor@lhs.org
