Kidney Paired Donation-European Transnational Experience in Adults and Opportunities for Pediatric Kidney Transplantation

BackgroundLive donor kidney transplantation is considered the optimal choice for renal replacement therapy, providing established benefits, such as superior patient survival and improved quality of life. However, immunological challenges, including ABO blood group incompatibility and, particularly, donor-specific HLA antibodies, may impact long-term outcomes considerably or even prevent safe direct transplantation with the intended donor.MethodsIn this review, the authors discuss kidney paired donation (KPD) as a viable strategy to overcome immunological barriers to living donation through organ exchanges. We thereby lay special focus on the Czech-Austrian transnational KPD program.ResultsWhile the benefits of KPD programs are well established for adult recipients, recent data suggest that this may hold true also for pediatric patients. Complex algorithms, considering factors like the intricate patterns of HLA sensitization, play a pivotal role in predicting suitable matches, but for pediatric patients also non-immunological factors including age and weight match may play a role. As pool size proves crucial for program efficacy, several countries in Europe have now initiated transnational collaborations to maximize match rates. Among those, the Czech-Austrian transnational joint program, established in 2015 and now expanded to a cooperation with the Israel transplant program to further increase transplant rates, represents a successful example.ConclusionKPD programs, with their innovative approaches and international partnerships, hold promise for enhancing outcomes and addressing the increasing demand for kidney transplantation.