Two lives were saved in Karnataka’s historic swap kidney transplant procedure involving two leading hospitals in the state. For the first time in Karnataka, two patients received life-saving kidney transplants through a swap procedure between two hospitals, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital and Suguna Hospital.
After over five years of waiting for a kidney transplant, two patients, Lakshmi S Acharya and Rudra Prasad, finally received a new lease on life. Lakshmi was operated on by Dr Anil Kumar BT, HOD & Sr Consultant – Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Dr Narendra S, HOD & Sr Consultant – Urologist & Transplant Surgeon, while Rudra Prasad was operated on by Dr Sanjay S, HOD & Sr Consultant – Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, and Dr Govardhan Reddy Sr consultant urologist and Transplant surgeon.
Despite having a blood group matched with the willing donors in their families, the patients were unable to undergo transplant surgery due to crossmatch positivity or HLA incompatibility. Transplants are a more financially feasible option for patients with end-stage renal disease and can greatly improve their quality of life. This type of transplant provides a solution for patients with interested donors.
The swap was approved by the Karnataka state approval committee. Following the approval of the state, the innovative procedure was carried out at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital and Suguna Hospital, transforming the lives of both these patients.
In India, there is a gap between those who need organ transplants and those who have access to them. With over one lakh registered patients waiting for an organ in Karnataka and nearly 10,000 kidney transplants performed in the country each year, the state is taking steps to improve accessibility and raise public knowledge of transplant options. Karnataka is second only to Tamil Nadu in cadaver organ donations, with 152 donations in 2022, and the success of this swap kidney transplant will only serve to encourage more patients to consider transplant as a viable solution to their health problems.
To raise public awareness about the accessibility of such treatments, both hospitals held a joint press conference to commemorate the success of the state’s first-ever swap kidney transplant. The event was attended by prominent nephrologists and urologists who were involved in the procedure, including Dr Anil Kumar BT, HOD & Sr Consultant – Nephrologist & Transplant Physician; Dr Narendra S, HOD & Sr Consultant – Urologist and Transplant Surgeon; Dr Sanjay S, HOD and Sr Consultant – Nephrologist and Transplant Physician; and Dr Govardhan Reddy Sr consultant urologist and transplant surgeon.
