Transplantation tourism: high risk for the recipients

The shortage of donor organ supply is forcing patients with end-stage renal disease to alternative searches. The aim of this study is to present the clinical and laboratory data of five patients who were transplanted in Egypt from paid living-unrelated donors and followed at our institution.

Five patients (four male, one female, mean age 51 yr) were included in this retrospective study.

All allografts still have good function with a mean serum creatinine level of 0.9 mg/dL. Surgical and medical problems were common such as wound infection (n = 3), evisceration (n = 2), deep vein thrombosis (n = 2), unexplained abdominal incision requiring removal of an abdominal surgical compress left in situ during previous surgery, placement of allograft on the side of an unrepaired indirect inguinal hernia and transplant pyelonephritis.

Although recent developments increased success in renal transplantation, receiving a kidney from a paid living donor at a commercial transplant center still carries great risks for the recipient.