When the willing live donors for two patients in end-stage kidney disease failed to match their recipients, they did the next best thing – they agreed to swap the kidneys.
Two young dialysis patients at Billroth Hospitals, R.A.Puram, Sivarama Lingam, 37, and the other, Venkateswara Rao, 48 years, were eager to get a transplantation. Their wives were willing to donate their kidneys, but the simple issue of tissue mismatch foiled the plans. That is when the hospital decided that a swap transplantation was the best way out of this impasse.
Sangeetha, Mr. Lingam’s wife, was a good tissue-match with Mr. Rao; while the latter’s wife, Dakashine proved to have a good blood and tissue match with Mr. Lingam. R. Vijayakumar, Head, Nephrology, at Billroth Hospitals, says counselling was provided to both couples, and after getting the requisite permission from the Authorisation Committee, the swap transplantation took place.
The entire operation, involving 4 surgeries, was conducted simultaneously. Mr. Lingam benefitted from the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme, and had his transplant free of cost. He has also been given anti-rejection drugs free.
For Mr. Rao, a Railway employee, the expenses were borne by the employer. Both have been discharged.
