A computer match program for paired and unconventional kidney exchanges.
The number of renal transplants can be increased by implementing an exchange program involving donor-recipient pairs for whom the donors are each incompatible with their original patient but compatible with each other's patient. The number can be further increased if the exchanges are not limited to ABO incompatible pairs or combinations of two donor-recipient pairs. However, as the number of donor-recipient pairs willing to participate in such a program increases, there is a substantial increase in both the time taken to identify such matches and the potential for error. We have developed a computer program that accounts for ABO and HLA compatibility and is not limited to two-way exchanges. With our database of 60 patients and 83 donors, we have been able to identify 122 two-way and 1230 three-way exchanges with an average run time of 30 s.
Kaplan
Inessa
I
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. ikaplan@jhmi.edu
Houp
Julie A
JA
Montgomery
Robert A
RA
Leffell
Mary S
MS
Hart
John M
JM
Zachary
Andrea A
AA
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000465:Algorithms; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility; D003201:Computers; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design; D013997:Time Factors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*; D014850:Waiting Lists
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D006680:HLA Antigens