‘Matching Blood Group No Longer Essential For Kidney Transplant’

Bhubaneswar: Awareness is an essential pre-requisite before a kidney transplant. It is necessary to convince people that both the donor and receiver can lead a normal life after a kidney transplant with proper care and a strong mindset,” said Soumya Ranjan Mishra, a native of Angul, who has had a kidney transplant.

His wife, who donated him a kidney is now leading a normal life.

Like Soumya, Sanatan Panda and Snehalata Nayak also shared their stories of success journey after a kidney transplant. The transplants were done in AMRI Hospitals, Bhubaneswar.

“The kidney transplant team at AMRI has completed carried out 125 transplants so far,” informed Dr Anuj Tiwari, vice president and unit head, AMRI Hospitals.

The facility commenced here  under the supervision of Transplant Surgeon Dr Subodh Das and Nephrologist Dr Sukanto Das in 2014 after clearance from Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Government of Odisha, said Tiwari.

To further enhance the team structure and quality of the clinical outcomes, Senior Consultant, Urology and Renal Transplant, Dr Manas Ranjan Pradhan, and Consultant, Nephrology, Dr Sai Prasad Sahoo, have joined the Institute of Renal Sciences at AMRI Hospitals.

The new team has got significant expertise and experience in paediatric kidney transplant and ABO incompatible kidney transplant with very good success rate, said Tiwari. “Blood group is not a barrier now. Donors with other blood groups can also donate a kidney,” said Dr Subodh Das.

The hospital has also successfully conducted “Swap Transplant” multiple times for patients having difficulty in finding donors in the family, he added.

The state government’s initiative to extend financial assistance to transplant patients who are unable to afford the cost of treatment is a true gift for the underprivileged people of Odisha, said Dr Das.

AMRI Hospitals has also come forward to support the government’s attempt to give a fresh lease of life to people suffering from kidney ailments, he added.

“Most of our patients with incompatible donors are getting the desired match and transplant is done in less than three months with paired donor exchange facility. Also, ABO incompatible kidney transplant is possible between two persons of any blood group, ” said Senior Consultant, Urology and Renal Transplant, Dr Manas Pradhan.