Paired Exchange: A New Innovation in Live Donor Kidney Transplantation

Abstract

Barriers to traditional living-donor kidney transplantation include ABO incompatibility and positive cross-match. Paired exchange kidney transplantation (PEKT) is a viable an increasingly popular method to increase live donation. We discuss the pros and cons as well as the various ways to achieve PEKT along with a review of existing literature. To achieve the full potential of PEKT, the transplant community at large needs to work toward a national kidney paired donation program along with a centralized financial intermediary.