The Penn Transplant Institute has set a new worldwide record for the most Kidney Paired Donation transplants in a year at 100, writes Matt Toal for Penn Today.

For hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are waiting for or have received a kidney, the paired exchange has served as a beacon of hope.

In the United States alone, more than 90,000 people are waiting to receive a kidney transplant.

Those on the waiting list must receive regular dialysis to stand in for their failed kidney, and a staggering 4,000 people in the U.S. die each year waiting to receive a transplant.

The paired exchange helps those in need of a kidney transplant who have a willing but poorly compatible or incompatible living donor, effectively expanding the pool of potential donors and recipients.

Penn Medicine’s 100th paired kidney exchange surgery on Dec. 6, 2023, represents a milestone for both the institution and the broader transplant community.

“This achievement reflects not only our dedication to excellence in patient care but also the innovative spirit that defines Penn Medicine,” said Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, an assistant professor of renal-electrolyte and hypertension and medical director of the Kidney Living Donor Program. 

Read more about the Penn Transplant Institute’s record-setting mission in Penn Today.

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