Live donation of a deceased donor's kidney.
Jolie Shen, Jeffrey L Veale
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A living recipient of a deceased-donor kidney, whose graft had failed early because of recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, donated that kidney for retransplantation. Five days later, it was transplanted into a second recipient and continued to function for over 8 years. The case also highlighted practical challenges in assessing a reused graft, including how to attribute donor characteristics, account for prior immunosuppressant exposure and clinical history, and classify the interim recipient-donor, who met criteria for neither living nor deceased donation.
What made this case unusual
A previously transplanted deceased-donor kidney was donated by its living recipient and successfully retransplanted, despite the interim donor fitting neither existing living- nor deceased-donor classification.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
When considering a previously transplanted kidney for reuse, assessment must account for the original donor profile, cumulative calcineurin inhibitor exposure, and the interim recipient’s clinical course.
Why it matters
The case illustrates how gaps in donor classification, data capture, and allocation can constrain reuse of allografts and a potential opportunity to expand the donor pool.