Brit woman gets ‘incompatible’ kidney in ground-breaking transplant

LONDON - Maxine Bath has had a life-saving kidney transplant after having her blood plasma frozen and filtered to make sure the organ was not rejected by her body.

Bath, 41, from Wolverhampton, is the first person in the world to successfully receive an “incompatible” donor kidney from her sister in spite of having dangerously low blood pressure, thanks to the technique.

Bath had been on dialysis for 15 years after kidney failure and waited for nearly ten years for a kidney that would not be rejected by her body. In fact, doctors were afraid that she would only live for months after she developed blood pressure problems in course of the past year.

The operation, which was performed at University Hospital in Coventry at the end of November, used a cryofiltration system to remove plasma from the blood and freeze it, turning proteins and antibodies into a gel-like substance. his process ensured that the antibodies, which can reject a transplanted organ, were filtered away before the plasma was warmed up and reintroduced into Bath’s body.

According to Dr Rob Higgins, a renal consultant, the procedure had been used in a tissue incompatible transplant for the first time. He said that it had been indispensable because other antibody-removal procedures would have lowered Ms Bath’s blood pressure even more.

Both Bath and her younger sis, Michelle Titmus, the closest match for her, had five sessions of cryofiltration before she was able to receive a kidney from her.

“This is an innovative measure we have implemented at the trust which opens the doors of donation for more kidney patients awaiting transplants,” Times Online quoted Dr Higgins of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, as saying.

He added: “If Maxine had carried on with dialysis her chances were pretty slim.”

Bath said: “Although it’s not been long since I had the operation I’m already feeling healthier.

“I am looking forward to being able to eat food I couldn’t have at all before like nuts and chocolate. I just want to get back to a normal life.” (ANI)