Press Release

Fortis Noida Performs Life-Saving Swap Kidney Transplants for Two Patients Battling Chronic End-Stage Kidney Disease

Fortis Hospital, Noida Jun 16, 2025

~Landmark dual surgery highlights the power of organ donation and collaborative care ~
Noida, 16th June 2025: In a landmark surgical accomplishment, Fortis Hospital, Noida, successfully performed two simultaneous swap kidney transplants on patients suffering from chronic end-stage kidney disease. The complex, life-saving surgeries were led by Dr. Anuja Porwal, Director – Nephrology, Fortis Hospital Noida alongwith Dr. Piyush Varshney, Director – Urology & Kidney Transplant, Fortis Hospital Noida.

The first patient, a 52-year-old man from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh had been undergoing dialysis for around 8 months for chronic kidney disease, with his health steadily deteriorating. Though his wife had offered to donate her kidney, but because their blood groups were incompatible, a direct transplant could not be performed.

Similarly, the second patient, a 42-year-old man also from Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur, faced an identical situation. He too was dependent on dialysis since 5 months and while his wife stepped forward as a donor, her blood group did not match his, ruling out the possibility of a direct kidney transplant.
Looking forward to an immediate solution, where both the lives could be saved with timely intervention and to address the ABO incompatibility in both the families, Dr. Anuja Porwal, Director – Nephrology, Fortis Hospital Noida and Dr. Piyush Varshney, Director – Urology & Kidney Transplant, Fortis Hospital Noida recommended a swap kidney transplant.
ABO compatibility or matching the blood groups of the donor and recipient, is a critical factor in kidney transplantation. An incompatible match can lead to rejection of the donor kidney by the recipient’s immune system if the antibody levels are very high. Before placing incompatible kidney in recipient, meticulous protocol is followed involving immunosuppression and plasma exchange through which recipients antibody levels are brought down to receive different blood group kidney. This process requires few weeks for the transplant to happen.

In this case, both patients’ wives were willing to donate a kidney, but their blood groups didn’t match their respective spouses, ruling out direct transplants.

However, when the donor-recipient pairs were swapped between the two families, blood group compatibility was achieved. The first patient’s wife donated her kidney to the second patient, and the second patient’s wife donated to the first, creating a successful match for both. Before surgery, all four individuals underwent detailed medical evaluations, including immune cross-matching, CT angiography to check blood vessels, DTPA scans to assess kidney function, and general health and cardiac assessments to ensure they were fit for surgery.

The surgeries were performed simultaneously and lasted approximately for five hours each. The challenge of operating on four individuals at once was compounded by the fact that one donor and one recipient were obese, which required additional care and surgical precision. Despite these complexities, both the transplants were successful, and all the four individuals recovered well.

Giving details of the cases, Dr. Anuja Porwal, Director – Nephrology, Fortis Hospital Noida said, “Both the patients were struggling on dialysis and had reached a stage where waiting longer for a transplant could have proved fatal. An ABO-incompatible transplant was not a safe option due to very high antibody levels against the donors blood group and already weakened immune systems of the patients. Making both the recipients suitable for ABO incompatible transplant would have required much more immunosuppression and delayed the transplant process. In such a situation, a swap transplant became the safest and most viable approach. This strategy allowed both the patients to receive compatible kidneys with minimal immunosuppression and better outcomes. It also ensured that the transplant could happen on time, which was critical for preserving their health and saving their lives. The donors, too, showed extraordinary courage and compassion in stepping forward for this unique lifesaving arrangement.”

Dr. Piyush Varshney, Director – Urology & Kidney Transplant, Fortis Hospital Noida said, “Conducting four surgeries together is logistically very challenging. It calls for precision, coordination, and a highly competent teamwork. There were risk factors which further complicated the case, however our medical staff was well-trained, and the devotion of both families went far in ensuring that this transplant would be successful. Cases like these reflect not just medical excellence, but also the powerful human stories behind organ donation and the strength of family support.”

Mohit Singh, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital Noida, said, “At Fortis Noida, our focus is on delivering cutting-edge, ethical, and patient-centric care that not only ensures long-term survival but also significantly improves quality of life. These successful swap transplants reflect our clinical excellence and the power of collaborative medicine. They underscore the critical role of timely intervention, public awareness, and the extraordinary impact that organ donation can have in saving lives.”