By: Jay Blackman
Source: thegrio.com
Dr. J. Keith Melancon, director of the medical center kidney and pancreas transplant program at Georgetown University Hospital is extending lives.
Melancon, 40, is implementing what is called a ‘Domino transplant’ program, where donors are matched with recipients facing a similar challenge.
So, a patient in need of a kidney brings a donor who is compatible with another recipient. That donation allows the patient to receive another organ from someone else in the kidney swap.
Melancon, who is African-American, was part of a pioneering team of doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where the first six-person kidney swap was undertaken in April 2008.
More than 85,000 Americans currently require kidney transplants, with African American comprising some 35 percent.
Melancon’s interest in kidney transplants was sparked by a research project in medical school and on account of good friend who required both a kidney and pancreas transplant.
Innovative ‘Domino Transplant’ doctor changes lives
