The swap way

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need

It is sometimes hard to find a donor who matches your recipient profile. Swap transplant is a way to increase your chances of getting a perfect donor.

You no longer have to settle for dialysis treatment, but can look for paired donor exchange. Apex Swap Transplant Registry (ASTRA) is the right solution for you.

Organ Transplant Swap Transplant

Register Donor-Recipient for swap

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How swap transplant works

1
Register donor-recipient pair

Register the donor-recipient pair in the Apex Swap registry with all the relevant details needed for organ transplant match.

2
ASTRA matches your profile

When the next pair matches your profile, ASTRA will get you connected with them so that further formalities can be completed.

3
Get transplant done

You can then coordinate with your respective consulting nephrologists, get relevant tests done and opt for an organ transplant.

What is Swap Transplant

Swap transplant involves an exchange of the organ between two families, who cannot donate the organ to their own family member because of blood group mismatch. This is in a sense ‘paired exchange’.

This would minimise this shortfall of organs and increase transplant numbers legally. An unique opportunity has arisen in the form of Swap transplant program. In this method there is a mechanism for organ sharing between two unrelated donor-recipient pairs.

By doing a swap, two patients with kidney failure who in normal circumstances cannot undergo a transplant because of blood group mismatch within that family, can now go ahead with kidney transplantation.

The Registry

ASTRA is a database of patients who need kidney transplant along with their family-donors who cannot donate their kidney because of blood group mismatch. This data base is scientific and credible. The computer generates swap pairs based on a few criteria like age of the donor, lymphocyte cross match, etc. ASTRA will register patients and donors, search and match pairs from the data pool and identity compatible donor-patient pairs.

After the completion of the registration, your nephrologists will be informed and your surgery will be performed by his transplant team at the hospital, of his and your choice. Astra will only complete the task of generating compatible pairs, and will hand them over to the respective nephrologists. They wont function beyond this responsibility

More the people register, faster the kidneys will match" – hence tell all the patients in your dialysis unit to register.
What does Apex gain?

Swap transplant is a humanitarian effort of Apex. This is their non profit initiative. Apex does not even gain a small fraction of amount, or the cost of managing this registry. The sole ambition is to increase the number of living donor transplants successfully and legally. Our gains are the good wishes we receive from the patients successfully transplanted through ASTRA.

Reasons to swap

Patients with kidney failure who have a blood group compatible donor, but their lymphocyte cross match is positive.
Patients with kidney failure who have a suitable donor within the family, but the donor has tested positive for Hepatitis B or C , such patients may avail the ASTRA. To find a possible virus positive recipient.
Patients who have an elderly donor or a marginal donor with a compatible group can also register to get a donor who is better. For example – Mr Patel was on dialysis. His blood group is B. His father was a prospective donor. His blood group is O. He could have directly donated to his son, Mr Patel. But they registered for a swap transplant and get a relative young man to donate. While Mr Patel’s dad donated to someone else. This is possible if your marginal related donor’s blood group is O. Please consult your nephrologist or call us for explanation.
Patients with kidney failure who have a family donor, but the blood groups are incompatible.
  • I had undergone the SWAP kidney Transplant in Hinduja Hospital. Whereas other swap patient was operated in Bombay Hospital simultaneously. ASTRA took a great task to find suitable kidney donor which helped me to start my life with new hopes.

    Anand D. Nawale
  • Apex Swap Transplant Registry was recommended to me by Dr Tarun Jeloka, Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, Pune. With their help and cooperation, within span of six months, my transplant was successfully done.

    PSV Raman and Jayalakshmi Raman

Role of your Primary Nephrologist:

The ASTRA is strictly a medical match-making agency. Once a patient is referred to the ASTRA, he would be registered. And as soon as a possible, a swap match is generated by the database, this information would be conveyed to the 2 primary Nephrologists, of the two patients.

Further workup, assessment, legal formalities, organisation of the logistics of the transplant as well as the procedure of transplant would be the prerogative of these two nephrologists, in mutual consultation.

The ASTRA does not participate in the actual transplant surgery and is not liable for any of the consequent events following the generation of the match.

 

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