Doctors in Washington, DC have performed a record-setting kidney swap. Twenty-six operations have given 13 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients a new chance at life. The surgeries were performed over six days at Georgetown University Hospital and Washington Hospital Center and included three altruistic kidney donors.
 
Five patients with heightened immune systems got kidneys because of blood-filtering to remove remaining antibodies that could potentially attack the new organ. Ten of the kidney recipients were black, Asian or Hispanic. Minorities are disproportionately afflicted by kidney disease and are less likely than white Americans to received a kidney from a living donor. The chain is believed to be the largest exchange of its kind. For more information on paired kidney exchange programs, visit the AAKP Web site.   

This article originally appeared in the January 2010 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.