‘GPHC paired kidney swap’ ...wives donate kidneys to each other’s husbands after compatibility tests rule out direct transplants

(Kaieteur News) – Two husbands from the West Coast Demerara are now living free from dialysis after the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) successfully performed a paired kidney exchange, allowing both men to receive life-changing transplants in September.

The men, aged 31 and 38, have since been discharged with good kidney function following the procedures, which were made possible by the generosity of their wives and the expertise of GPHC’s transplant team, a release from the hospital said.

The successful exchange highlights how patients whose loved ones are willing to donate kidneys but are medically incompatible may still have a chance at transplantation through an alternative donor arrangement. The process began when the 31-year-old man was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease by GPHC’s Nephrology team. He was referred to the Transplant Department for the placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter.