First Set Of Complicated Kidney Swaps Completed At California Pacific Medical Center In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- Surgeons at San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center have completed the first three kidney transplants of a series of kidney swaps started by a woman who wanted to help save a life.
California Pacific Medical Center spokesman Dean Fryer says the three kidney transplants were completed by Thursday afternoon. Another three patients will get kidneys on Friday.
In a statement obtained by KPIX 5, the hospital said, "Today's surgeries involving the six-way kidney transplant went smoothly. Zully Broussard, our altruistic patient, is out of surgery and resting comfortably."
Broussard's donation to a Benicia man set off an organ swap that resulted in five more sick people getting new kidneys.
Kidney swaps are considered one of the best bets at increasing live-donor transplants, and they are becoming more common as transplant centers look to match willing donors to waiting patients.
David Jacobs of BiologicTX, who developed software to make the kidney swaps possible, told KPIX 5 that he was inspired by his own experience looking for an organ donor.
"I know personally how it feels to wait for an organ and to be on dialysis and feel that despair," Jacobs said, "Really grateful that my software is being able to contribute in this life-changing event for all these people."
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