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Recycling Transplanted Organs: An Exceptional Case and Literature Review
Titas Bera1, Puneet Sindhwani1, Michael Rees1
1Department of Urology and Transplantation, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Background:
Recycling transplanted kidneys, in other words using an allograft which has previously been transplanted in one recipient for transplant in a second recipient, can be a source of opportunity for expanding the pool of available grafts in the USA and beyond.
Summary:
We describe a case of renal transplantation from a donor who had undergone a kidney transplant 3 years prior and had good graft function at the time of procurement. The recipient underwent transplantation uneventfully and to date has demonstrated excellent graft function. We also include a literature review of reported cases of recycled/retransplanted kidneys.
Key Messages:
Recycling transplanted kidneys is a largely untapped resource which could help decrease the transplant waitlist. Utilizing such kidneys does need special considerations in terms of procurement technique, back table, crossmatch, recipient selection, and follow-up.
