VANCOUVER -- This year marks the 20th anniversary of the kidney transplant program at St. Paul's Hospital. In the past two decades the team has marked a number of firsts - including harvesting a kidney from a living donor using laproscopic or minimally invasive surgery. One of the most remarkable advances is performing a kidney transplant that years ago would have been considered impossible.
At just 26 years of age, Aran Lewis has had more than his fair share of kidney troubles. He had his first transplant at the age of 8 because of a congenital kidney defect. When that failed 12 years later, he had another transplant, this time from his father. But it lasted only six months because of rejection.
Aran says, "I was pretty sick. The dialysis wasn't really working out for me."
His mother offered a kidney, but although she had the same blood type, it wasn't compatible.
Dr. David Landsberg, Physcian, Program Director with the Renal Program and Head of Division of Nephrology at St. Paul's Hospital, says, "Aran was in a difficult situation having had two previous transplants, antibodies against both donors, dialysis difficulties, his future was pretty bleak."
To save Aran, the St. Paul's Hospital team used this plasma exchange machine to remove antibodies from his system. At the same time they gave him chemotherapeutic agents to stop new antibodies from forming before going ahead with the transplant.
Dr. Landsberg says, "the body at some point gives up and doesn't make antibodies anymore and then you can determine a longer term success."
This innovation is helping to expand the pool of potential donors and that's really needed now because of the rising number of people with end stage kidney disease.
Dr.Landsberg says, "we have at least 500 people who are actually waiting for a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, the number of diseased donors, the number of donating kidneys has gone down."
More transplants are being done from living donors, but not everyone has this alternative.
Almost a year after his life-saving transplant, Aran says he's not yet fully recovered, but he's gotten married and is trying to get back to work.
"We're planning our life now and it's good."
Experts say it's not yet the first choice of treatment.. Right now it's offered to people in difficult situations like Aran. If you're wondering, dialysis can keep kidney patients alive for a period of time, but transplantation increases their lifespan. For younger patients like Aran, the benefit of a transplant is greater. The average increase in lifespan is 17 years. If you liked to sign up as an organ donor.. You can go online to transplant.bc.ca or phone 1-800-663-6189.
Monday May 15, 2006
