Infographic: Lower Rejection Risk Multi-Organ Transplant

Giving High-Risk Patients a Better Chance for Successful Transplantation.

Antibodies are the enemy of transplanted organs.

The immune system creates antibodies in the bloodstream to attack foreign bodies — usually germs.
They may also attack transplanted organs — this is called transplant rejection.

Transplant patients' immune systems may become highly-sensitized (and create many antibodies) due to:

For some highly-sensitized patients, organ transplantation is not an option due to an increased risk of rejection.

When a living kidney donor and intended recipient aren't a match, programs can find others in the same situation.
If donor A is a match for recipient B and vice versa, the kidneys can be swapped across pairs.
Better-matched organs reduce the chance of rejection.

Clinical trials to test potential new therapies.
Laboratory and translational research by Mayo Clinic investigators to understand both antibody production and its effect on graft survival.
Multidisciplinary clinical protocols to improve the outcomes of highly-sensitized patients in kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver transplantation.

Highly-sensitized patients get higher priority on the national organ transplant waiting list.
Gain access to organs with fewest antibodies.
Changes to the system enable better matches to be found.

Transplanting a liver first in the same surgery helps reduce antibodies in the bloodstream.
The liver is the body's filter.
Lower rejection rates in liver-kidney transplants than in kidney-alone transplants.*
Has recently been used successfully in liver-heart transplants.

*Depending on the amount of antibodies at the time of transplant.

Sources: MayoClinic.org; OPTN.Transplant.HRSA.gov.