System unites families for two kidney donations Two families that had never met had their fates crossed by a kidney exchange that had never been carried out between different hospitals in Brazil. The procedure, carried out between Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora and Hospital das Clínicas da USP, in São Paulo, allowed two patients to receive a transplant thanks to cross-compatibility between donors. ? Click here to follow the g1 Zona da Mata channel on WhatsApp ? In paired kidney transplantation, when a living donor is not compatible with the patient it intends to help, a system searches for another pair in the same situation. If there is cross-compatibility, donors exchange recipients, allowing both patients to be transplanted. According to experts, the modality helps to increase the number of transplants and reduce the waiting time for an organ. The expectation is that the technique will be incorporated into the public transplant system in the future. How the transplant happened Professor Rafael Veloso, 40 years old, resident of Belo Horizonte, and Dirlene Nunes Parente, 73 years old, from Brasília, participated in the procedure. After losing his sister's transplanted kidney, 19 years after the donation, Rafael returned to hemodialysis and spent more than two years waiting for a new chance. No family members were compatible. "It's a challenge [hemodialysis]. Three times a week, a period of 4 hours each session, needles. You don't know how long this will last, when a kidney will arrive with the opportunity to give you a peaceful and normal life." Dirlene, after 15 years of conservative treatment, began hemodialysis in 2015. In 2022, with the total loss of kidney function, she needed to increase the frequency of sessions to five times a week. She remained on the transplant waiting list for a decade and also did not find compatibility among her family members. Dirlene Nunes Parente received the transplant at the age of 73, leaving the hemodialysis queue Reproduction/TV Integração "For me, it was very exhausting to spend 3h30 on a machine!", she said. The alternative arose when Dirlene's son, Hugo Parente, learned about the paired kidney transplant program through a TV report. Mother and son sought out the Hospital das Clínicas at USP and, after confirming the incompatibility between the two, they entered the program. In this case, Rafael's cousin traveled to São Paulo to donate the kidney to Dirlene, while Hugo Parente, Dirlene's son, made the donation at Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora for Rafael. Ana Paula Fernandes, Rafael's cousin, donated a kidney to Dirlene Reproduction/TV Integração In just two weeks, a compatible match was found. Physiotherapist Ana Paula Fernandes, Rafael's cousin, donated a kidney to Dirlene. And Hugo donated a kidney to Rafael. The surgeries took place simultaneously at Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora and at the USP Hospital das Clínicas, in São Paulo, with four operating rooms operating at the same time and integration between the medical teams. Project still depends on judicial authorization Although it is adopted in several countries, paired kidney transplantation is not yet regulated in Brazil. The program is developed by the Hospital das Clínicas at USP, within a research protocol approved by the Ethics Committee for Analysis of Research Projects (CAPPesq). Each procedure requires judicial authorization. Rafael Veloso, 40 years old, received the new kidney in a paired transplant carried out in Juiz de Fora TV Integration/Reproduction Currently, Brazilian legislation allows living kidney donation between relatives up to the fourth degree and spouses. When there is no family link, authorization from the Court is also required. According to Elias David Neto, director of the Kidney Transplant Service at USP's Hospital das Clínicas, regulating the modality can significantly expand access to living donor transplants. "Paired adoption happens in almost all developed countries in the world and in Brazil someone needs to change the law saying 'Look! It's possible to do it as long as there is no trade in organs so that this activity can be regulated without being in a research project'". Santa Casa expands its pioneering spirit Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora was the first hospital in the country to perform a paired kidney transplant outside the USP Hospital das Clínicas, in 2024, using a model with three pairs of donors and recipients. Now, carrying out the first transplant between different transplant centers marks a new stage in the initiative. Surgery took place at Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora Santa Casa/Disclosure According to experts, the greater the number of participating hospitals and registered patients, the greater the chances of finding compatible donors. For Rafael, the result represents the end of a routine of hemodialysis sessions and the beginning of life again. "I'm very happy. It's a benefit for the Brazilian population," he said. Dirlene sums up her feelings after the transplant: "I'm 73 years old. When did I imagine I would have a transplant at that age?" READ ALSO: Santa Casa de Juiz de Fora breaks record for kidney transplants in 2024 Tour guide receives call for transplant at the top of the mountain and is taken by helicopter by firefighters Justice authorizes woman to receive kidney donation from a thoughtful aunt in MG; understand the case VIDEOS: see everything about Zona da Mata and Campos das Vertentes