The Kidney Exchange

A kidney exchange is a system that helps patients in need of a transplant find compatible donors when direct matches aren’t available. If a patient has a willing but incompatible donor, they can swap kidneys with another pair in a similar situation, creating a chain of exchanges. This allows multiple patients to receive compatible kidneys that they otherwise couldn’t access through traditional matched pairs. The process increases the chances of successful transplants and optimizes the use of donor organs by matching donors and recipients based on compatibility, ultimately saving more lives and improving outcomes for patients with kidney failure.