Urology | Successful Kidney Transplant for 2-Year-Old Child, Beijing’s Youngest Recipient
2岁3个月宝宝肾移植成功

2024-06-24

On April 1, 2024, An (a pseudonym), a 2-year-old child suffering from uremia, underwent a successful kidney transplant at Peking University People’s Hospital. An was the youngest kidney transplant recipient in Beijing to date.

An was diagnosed with bilateral renal dysplasia when he was just three to four months old. Since then, his parents have sought treatment in many places, but An’s kidney function continued to deteriorate.

Pediatric kidney transplants are more complex than those for adults, demanding higher comprehensive expertise of surgeons and advanced technical capabilities of hospitals. Only a few hospitals nationwide can perform such surgeries. Drawn by the hospital’s high-quality service and reputation, An’s family sought help from the Department of Urology at Peking University People’s Hospital.

On March 20, through the China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS), An was successfully matched with a suitable donor kidney after rigorous testing. At 6 AM on March 21, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprising experts from departments of Urology, Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, and Vascular Surgery was convened to formulate a detailed surgical plan. The surgery began at 4 PM. Professor Chen Gang from Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology joined Deputy Director Wang Qiang to perform the surgery. The surgery lasted nearly four hours, with a minimal blood loss of 20ml. An’s parents expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Director Xu Tao, Deputy Director Wang Qiang, and the entire medical team of the Department of Urology for the success of the surgery.

In the past two years, Peking University People’s Hospital has completed 114 kidney transplants, including pediatric transplants, super-elderly kidney transplants, renal autotransplants, and ABO-incompatible living donor kidney transplants. Among the 22 pediatric kidney transplants, the average age of the recipients was 11 years old, with An being the youngest at 2 years and 3 months old. The hospital’s high-quality service and exquisite skills have brought new hope to many patients with organ failure.