Maryland's Health Matters - Upper Chesapeake - Winter 2013 - (Page 11)

standard for treating kidney failure is whether from living or deceased Exchange, also known as a "kidney kidney transplantation. donors, would greatly reduce the num- swap." This program arranges for the ber of people on the wait list and the willing incompatible donor to donate time spent waiting for kidneys. Living to a stranger who is incompatible with A kidney transplant is the most effective donor kidneys are preferred because his or her intended donor; in turn, the long-term treatment for renal failure. they typically have signiﬁcantly better intended recipient receives a kidney Transplant recipients experience an long-term survival than kidneys from a from another recipient's living donor. almost immediate improvement in qual- deceased donor. To avoid kidney rejec- ity of life, and they go on to live normal tion, willing donors must be immuno- at the same time, or even in the same lives with few restrictions. logically compatible with the recipient. state. Essentially, the donors are sav- Unfortunately, it is not guaranteed that ing the life of the person they love, as dem, which is why transplants are nec- the intended donor, usually a close fam- well as someone they may never meet, essary," explains Dr. Leeser. "Although ily member, will be a match. by coming forward as a living donor. DEPENDING ON DONORS "When kidneys fail, they do so in tan- we are born with two kidneys, we only need one to ﬁlter waste and remove TURNING NO INTO YES excess water from the body. Research the country, including University of live as long as those with two." Maryland Medical Center, have found If an altruistic donor, also called a Doctors at select medical centers across shows that people with one kidney can The surgeries do not have to occur The key to increasing the quality of new and better ways to help more life for more people with end-stage people and ensure that incompatibility renal disease is kidney transplantation, with a living donor is no longer a barrier. which is reliant upon donors. There is At the Medical Center, when a patient an ongoing shortage of donor organs in and his or her willing donor are not a the U.S. An increase in organ donation, match, they can enter the Paired Kidney Paired Kidney Exchange Donor #1 Donor #2 Recipient #1 Donor #3 Recipient #2 Recipient #3 AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Through a Paired Kidney Exchange program, those who are incompatible matches for loved ones who need a kidney can still donate, but the organ goes to a stranger who is a match. In exchange, the loved one receives a kidney from another recipient's living donor. a chance to win a $50 Target gift card. Go to shareinput.com/uchs today! TIRED OF WAITING? Finding a match for a kidney transplant can take years if you don't have a willing donor who is a match. These options may shorten someone's time on the waiting list: Multiple listing: Registering on the wait list at more than one transplant center increases chances of being transplanted faster. University of Maryland Medical Center wait times are shorter than the national average. Transferring wait time: Those who feel they have been waiting too long can transfer their "primary waiting time"-the longest time they have waited at any center-to another transplant center. Paired Kidney Exchange program: If an intended donor is not a match, this program allows the living donor to give his or her kidney to a best-matched recipient, while the originally intended recipient would receive a kidney from a best-matched donor, perhaps from outside his or her region's transplant pool. uchs.org | Winter 2013 11 http://www.uchs.org http://www.shareinput.com/uchs

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - Upper Chesapeake - Winter 2013

Maryland's Health Matters - Upper Chesapeake - Winter 2013
Contents
A Healthy Start
Head Strong
Weighing Your Options
A Lifesaving Gift
At a Glance
News and Events

Maryland's Health Matters - Upper Chesapeake - Winter 2013