RISK TAKING AMONGST LIVE PAIRED AND POOLED KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RISK TAKING AMONGST LIVE PAIRED AND POOLED KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENTS: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
IRAS ID
159110
Contact name
Lyndsay Baines
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
14/EM/1274, NRESCommitteeEastNottingham2
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Live paired and pooled kidney transplants can be a good choice when a transplant between a living kidney donor (e.g. friend, family member) and recipient (patient in kidney failure) is not medically possible. Live paired and pooled kidney transplants place donor and recipient with another (unknown) donor and recipient pair in the same situation, and for the donor kidneys to be "exchanged" or "swapped". The recipient receives a kidney from someone unknown and, at the same time, the donor gives to a recipient who is unknown to him/her. When two pairs are involved it is called paired donation and, with more than two pairs, pooled donation.
The benefit of this type of donation is that each recipient receives a kidney transplant from a living donor that he/she would not have otherwise had, increasing the recipients quality of life and helping them live longer.
Early quantitative (statistical) studies identified patient's and families concerns about risks with this procedure which influenced their decision to register, or not, for the paired and pooled programme as follows: the kidney donated should be as good (e.g. age, condition)to the kidney received; motivation (reasons) why the donor wants to donate their kidney; timing of operations so that donor/recipient keeps their promise to donate; delays/mishaps of transporting a number of kidneys to other hospitals and maintaining patient privacy.
However, a qualitative (descriptive) study (of patient's thoughts)such as the study proposed, that helps us understand how donors, recipients and their families reason/weigh the above risks in deciding to participate, or not, is needed to help the transplant team when talking with donor-recipient pairs, in staff education and in promoting this procedure amongst the medical community and members of the public. Thereby increasing access to this procedure for more patients, improving their quality of life and helping them live longer.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0021
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion