Staff working in the South West Transplant Centre are saving more lives and improving the health of many others within the region, surgeons are announcing on World Kidney Day.

The South West Transplant Centre, based at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, equalled last year’s record number of 75 kidney transplants. This is the highest number to have been carried out since the first transplant was performed at the Trust in 1973 and a 32% increase on the number for 2007.

Kidneys transplanted from living donors accounted for 19 of these operations; the remainder were from deceased donors either heart beating or controlled non heart beating donor transplants. The average waiting time for a kidney at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust is 2 years, which is 4 months shorter than the national average. The proportion of the population on the organ donor register in the South West is 32%, one of the highest rates in the country.

Consultant Surgeon Jacob Akoh, who is also the Clinical Director for Surgery and Renal Services, added: “I am delighted that we have had another successful year and have been able to equal our record number of transplants within the peninsula. Every year the South West Transplant Centre is doing everything it can to benefit as many patients as possible.

“One of the main reasons why we are able to perform so many transplants is because there are now more ways that people can donate. Controlled non heart beating transplants contributed to 57% of our overall activity for 2009 and a quarter of the operations performed were from living donors. 

“It’s also a well established practice at the centre to perform operations on living donors laparoscopically (by keyhole surgery), which is safer for donors and improves their recovery time.”

Living kidney donation has changed significantly in the last few years, as donors can now be unrelated and even completely unknown to the recipients. Three years ago the South West Transplant Centre performed the second altruistic non directed living donor transplant and the second paired exchange living donor renal transplantation in the UK. The South West Transplant Centre is one of the leading units performing altruistic non directed living donation in the UK.

Mr. Akoh continues: “None of this would be possible, if it was not for the generosity of the donors and / or the families of patients who have died, who expressed that their loved ones wish to donate. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved in renal transplantation in the South West. To keep up to date with our progress, please visit our website – www.swtransplant.com.”