Clinical Transplantation
Volume 25, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 633-637

Transplant tourism - a dangerous journey? (Article)

Polcari A.J.* , Hugen C.M. , Farooq A.V. , Holt D.R. , Hou S.H. , Milner J.E.
  • a Departments of Urology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
  • b Departments of Urology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
  • c Departments of Urology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
  • d Departments of General Surgery, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
  • e Departments of Nephrology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
  • f Departments of Urology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States

Abstract

Introduction: While the ethical aspects of transplant tourism have received much attention recently, less has been written about the medical safety of this practice. We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of patients who purchased organs internationally and presented to our center for follow-up care. Methods: Baseline demographic characteristics were recorded. Post-operative outcomes including patient survival, graft survival, five-yr graft function, and complications were assessed. Results: Eight patients who purchased international organs for transplant were identified. The country of transplant was China (n=3), Pakistan (n=3), India (n=1), and the Philippines (n=1). All patients were born in either Asia or the Middle East and traveled to the region of their ethnicity for transplantation. The mean time to presentation was 49d post-operatively. The overall one- and two-yr patient survival rates were 87% and 75%, respectively. One patient died of miliary tuberculosis and another of Acinetobacter baumanii sepsis. There was one case of newly acquired hepatitis B infection. At last follow-up, all six surviving patients had functioning grafts with a mean creatinine level of 1.26mg/dL at fiveyr. Conclusion: Although intermediate-term graft function is acceptable, the early morbidity and mortality among transplant tourists is high. These results suggest that the associated risks may not justify the trip. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Author Keywords

Commercialism Transplant Tourism kidney Trafficking

Index Keywords

patient care Pakistan China organ transplantation India Tissue Donors survival rate tourism Follow-Up Studies follow up human middle aged Asia Middle East surgical mortality priority journal Humans graft rejection Treatment Outcome graft survival male female clinical article Article Retrospective Studies adult Hepacivirus medical tourism postoperative period Kidney Transplantation outcome assessment ethnicity sepsis hepatitis B Philippines Acinetobacter baumannii Cytomegalovirus Cytomegalovirus Infections creatinine miliary tuberculosis hepatitis C
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80051704698&doi=10.1111%2fj.1399-0012.2010.01325.x&partnerID=40&md5=8e8c16b0be7b03433e9c23bad2c75c66
DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2010.01325.x
ISSN: 09020063
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English