NJ Sharing Network announces the establishment of
Mid-Atlantic PEP a living donor kidney exchange registry

New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network (NJ Sharing Network) announces the establishment of a living donor kidney exchange program, Mid-Atlantic Paired Exchange Program. This program, previously limited to New Jersey transplant centers, has been expanded to surrounding states in order to increase the likelihood of a successful match.  These new advances in registration and matching techniques will greatly enhance the potential for living donations and help to alleviate the shortage of much needed transplant organs. As a result, more lives of the close to 2,600 men, women and children on the waiting list for a kidney transplant will be saved or enhanced.

The registry will bring together pairs of willing donors and people in need of transplant who are incompatible in regard to blood type or other indicators with other non-matching pairs. Then by resorting the pairs, compatible matches can be made to allow for kidney exchange. This process to make living donations more widely available is a great benefit to transplant recipients. Studies have shown that a live donor kidney remains functioning twice as long, on average, as a kidney received from a deceased donor.

NJ Sharing Network maintains a computerized registry that contains all the necessary medical information of donor/recipient pairs. NJ Sharing Network will run a match program of the registry whenever 10 or more pairs are registered since the last match run. The Medical Review Board, made up of surgeons representing New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic transplant centers, will evaluate the findings. If matches are confirmed the two (possibly three) pairs will be notified and tests will be performed to confirm compatibility. Consultations with the transplant surgeon will follow, and, upon approval and consent, the four-way (or six-way) exchange will take place.

The ability to bring together donor-recipient pairs will increase the potential for living donations. However, there are guidelines and requirements that must be considered before a donor-recipient pair can be placed in the registry. A potential donor must be:

• 18 years or older
• in good health and willing to undergo a variety of
  tests to verify health conditions
• willing to donate for purely altruistic reasons

The program is available only to those transplant candidates who have no known compatible living donors. It should also be noted that those in need of a transplant will continue to remain on the waiting list for a transplant from a deceased donor, even during the evaluation stage of this donation process.

To allow everyone in need an equal opportunity to receive a donation, it is important to understand that the transplant team completely directs the matching of compatible pairs and will not accept the input or solicitation of recipient-donor pairs by any other party.

For more information, contact Registrar, Mid-Atlantic Paired Exchange Program at 1-800-SHARE-NJ.