Kidney transplant best treatment for patients with CKD

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 4: Kidney transplant is the best treatment for patients suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
This was stated by Prof (Dr) Mukut Minz, Director Transplant Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mohali while interacting with media persons here today. He was accompanied by Dr Sunil Kumar Consultant Transplant Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mohali.
Dr Minz stated that the ABO Incompatible Transplant, a new technique to transplant kidney from different blood groups, has also been successfully performed at the hospital.
Prof (Dr) Mukut Minz, who has recently been conferred with the prestigious Padma Shree, explained that kidney transplant is the treatment of choice in chronic kidney disease.
Dr Minz added, “a general notion which is quite prevalent is that if a blood group compatible donor is not there in the family, then patient has to be on dialysis life long. However, this has changed with the latest know-how and advanced technology. “Fortis Hospital, Mohali, has been successfully carrying out ABO incompatible transplants since the last four years, thus giving new lease of life to many patients”, he informed.
Dr Sunil Kumar, who has been working with Prof Minz for 10 years, said that kidney transplant is a procedure where a healthy kidney is transplanted from one person, to the affected person’s body. This new kidney will perform the functions of both the failed kidneys. Potential donors are carefully evaluated to ensure that the donor is fit for surgery and has no disease which brings undue risk or likelihood of a poor outcome for either the donor or recipient, he added.
Speaking about the new ABO incompatible technique, Dr Kumar said, “The major barrier to organ transplantation between genetically non-identical patients lay in the recipient and the immune system, which would treat a transplanted kidney as a non-self and reject it. Thus, having medications to suppress the immune system is essential. With advances in the field of immunology and transplant medicine, new and effective drugs are now available with which one can expect excellent results of kidney transplant. If carefully selected for transplant, the patients usually do well and can go home within one week of surgery.”