AIIMS Raipur successfully performs its first Swap Kidney Transplant

With this achievement, AIIMS Raipur becomes the first among the newer AIIMS institutions and the first government hospital in the state of Chhattisgarh to carry out this complex and life-saving procedure.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, this significant milestone underscores the institute's commitment to advancing healthcare and providing innovative treatment solutions for patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease.

It is estimated that Swap Kidney Transplant leads to a 15 per cent increase in the number of transplants. Recognising its potential, the National Organisation and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has recommended for the implementation of Swap donor transplantation to all the states and Union Territories as this option could increase the number of donors, the Ministry said.

NOTTO has also decided to have a 'uniform one nation one swap transplant programme' to facilitate these transplants more effectively across the country.

According to the Ministry, in a Swap Transplant, a patient with renal failure who has a willing living donor, but is unable to receive the kidney due to an incompatible blood group or the presence of HLA antibodies, can still undergo a transplant by exchanging donors with another incompatible pair. Through this arrangement, both recipients receive compatible kidneys, resulting in successful transplants for both pairs. In the landmark case at AIIMS Raipur, two male ESRD patients, aged 39 and 41 from Bilaspur, had been on dialysis for three years. Both were advised to undergo kidney transplantation, and their respective wives came forward as living donors.

However, due to blood group incompatibility - one pair having B+ and O+, and the other O+ and B+ - direct donation was not possible. To overcome this challenge, the transplant team at AIIMS Raipur coordinated a successful swap transplant. Each donor gave her kidney to the other recipient, ensuring blood group compatibility and enabling both patients to receive life-saving organs, it added.

The surgery was conducted on March 15, and all four individuals - both donors and recipients - are currently recovering well under close observation in the Transplant ICU.

This milestone reflects AIIMS Raipur's growing capabilities in advanced medical care and its commitment to providing innovative solutions for patients battling chronic kidney disease.

The Swap Transplant team consisted of Dr Vinay Rathore (Transplant Physician); Dr Amit R Sharma, Dr Deepak Biswal and Dr Satyadeo Sharma (Transplant Surgeons); Dr Subrat Singha, Dr Mayank, Dr Jitendra and Dr Sarita Ramchandani (Anaethesiologists) and other Transplant Co-ordinator team members and OT and Transplant Nursing staff.

AIIMS Raipur has played a pivotal role in the development of Organ Transplant in Chhattisgarh. The institute has successfully developed a renal transplant program, encompassing both living and deceased donor transplants. Six deceased donors have donated their organs in last two years.

AIIMS Raipur has also been first amongst the newer AIIMS to start Deceased Donor Organ Donation and Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation. It is also the first in the state to start Deceased donor Paediatric Kidney Transplantation. To date, the institute has performed 54 kidney transplants with a graft survival rate of 95 per cent and a patient survival rate of 97 per cent, reflecting its clinical excellence and commitment to high-quality patient care.