Abstract
Kidney paired exchange is an established method of overcoming incompatibility in donor-recipient pairs and expanding the living-donor pool. It is infrequently performed in developing countries. We report the first kidney paired exchange in Pakistan, successfully performed at our center. One donor-recipient pair consisted of a 38-year-old female recipient (blood type, B positive) and her 40-year-old husband (A positive) as the potential donor. The second pair consisted of a 30-year-old male recipient (A positive) and his 30-year-old wife (B positive) as the potential donor. The donors were exchanged with the recipients, and both pairs were antigen matched for human leukocyte antigen A and human leukocyte antigen DR. Luminex antibody screening was negative, as were the crossmatches for T and B cells and for IgG and IgM. The transplant procedures and recoveries proceeded uneventfully. The recipients are maintaining serum creatinine levels around 0.78 mg/dL and 0.90 mg/dL, 1 year after transplant. Kidney paired exchange is a relatively low-cost option for overcoming the barrier of incompatibility in a resource-constrained setting.