Bengaluru: 77-year-old patient with diabetes receives a kidney from a 73-year-old cadaver donor

In a notable breakthrough amid a prolonged kidney transplant crisis, a 77-year-old patient with diabetes has successfully received a kidney transplant from a 73-year-old cadaver donor in Bengaluru. This comes at a time when approximately 5,000 patients in Karnataka with stage 5 chronic kidney disease remain on dialysis, with transplant wait times stretching up to four years.

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Despite the donor kidney having a Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) of under 60—typically considered suboptimal—the recipient’s post-transplant creatinine levels dropped to 1.2, signaling positive recovery. The transplant, conducted on July 11 at Trustwell Hospital, saw the patient discharged within eight days.

The recipient’s medical condition presented several challenges, including diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, a history of kidney stones, and recurrent urinary tract infections. Nevertheless, the patient’s active lifestyle contributed to a smooth recovery, barring a minor wound infection that was promptly treated.

This successful case highlights the potential of elderly donor organs, often discarded due to age-related concerns. Medical professionals now advocate reconsidering such donors, especially if otherwise healthy. With deceased donor transplants accounting for just 15% of kidney transplants in India, this case could reshape perspectives on donor eligibility and offer renewed hope for thousands awaiting transplants.