ABO Compatible Kidney transplant is the process of transplanting a kidney from a healthy individual into a person with kidney failure who are deemed compatible or matched after mandatory tests.There are actually three tests that are done to evaluate donors. They are blood type, crossmatch, and HLA testing. This blood test is the first step in the process of living donation and determines if you are compatible or a “match” to your recipient.
Blood typing is the first blood test that will determine if your blood is a compatible match with the potential donor's blood. This test measures blood antibodies that react with different blood groups.
If the donor's blood type works with your blood type, the donor will take the next blood test (tissue typing).
The first test is to determine the tissue (HLA) type of the patient and the potential donor to see how well they match. Each person's tissues, except for identical twins, are usually different from everyone else's. It is believed that the better the HLA match, the more successful the transplant will be over a longer period of time. Because of the way chromosomes/DNA are inherited or passed down in a family, a parent and child would have at least a 50 percent chance of matching, siblings could have a zero to 100 percent match, and unrelated donors would be less likely to match at all.
The second blood test measures antibodies to HLA; this test is done for the patient only and is repeated frequently (sometimes monthly but less often dependent upon the transplant program policy). HLA antibodies can be harmful to the transplanted organ and they can increase or decrease over time so they must be measured while waiting for a transplant, immediately before a transplant surgery, and sometimes following transplantation.
The crossmatch test is a very important part of the compatible work-up and is repeated again just before the transplant surgery. Blood from the donor and recipient are mixed. If the recipient's cells attack and kill the donor cells, the crossmatch is considered positive. This means the recipient has antibodies "against" the donor's cells. If the crossmatch is negative, the pair is considered compatible.
Once compatibility is confirmed the donor will have an in depth medical evaluation. This is to protect the well being of your donor and to make sure you receive a healthy kidney.
Studies have shown that in the long-term this type of transplant will result in the best outcome.
