KIMS Doctors perform a rare kidney transplantation between different blood groups

Hyderabad, April 25th, 2021:  The Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), one of the leading healthcare providers in the country, today announced that the Doctors at the hospital have achieved a significant milestone in medical science, by successfully performing kidney transplantation between two different blood groups. This development is likely to address a major concern of organ suitability and will help save many lives.

Ashim Das, a 40-year-old resident of Assam, was an end-stage kidney failure patient, and after being on regular dialysis for the past two years, needed urgent transplant of kidney to survive. His wife came forward to donate her kidney, but compatibility became a challenge as Ashim Das blood group was B+ve and his wife was A+ve. However, the team of experts at KIMS took up the challenge to complete the procedure through an advanced and sophisticated medical approach.

Commenting on the procedure, Dr. E Ravi, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, KIMS Hospitals, who performed the procedure said, “Transplantation across blood groups is a complex procedure, because antibodies that reject the donor must be completely removed or made dormant before the transplant. I, along with nephrologist Dr. Hima Deepthi, have gradually reduced such antibodies in this patient through a process called plasmapheresis and by giving medications to neutralise antibodies.This process took almost two weeks and resulted in reducing anti-donor antibodies considerably in the patient. Following which, Dr. Sarbeswar Sahariah, Chief Transplant Surgeon at the hospital performed the transplant surgery. Patient revovered well after their surgery and discharged without any complications.More than four weeks since the procedure, patient is leading a normal and active life, and will be back to his routine soon.”

Kidney transplant is the only available option for patients who are undergoing dialysis for years and in patients with advanced kidney disease. However, in most cases, the blood group of recipient and willing donor do not match, and this delay transplant process, leading to further complications. But this new approach to transplant is a boon for end-stage patients with results are similar to blood group matching transplants.

Unfortunately, not many doctors will be able to do perform such a complex procedure due to the complexities associated with the procedure and doubts over outcomes.The team of experts at the KIMS hospitals are among the very few in India who could do this cross-blood group kidney transplants.