Suspected Subterfuge in Proposing Kidney Donor

Abstract

A 49 year old Indonesian high ranking military officer on peritoneal dialysis because of renal failure due to a congenital horseshoe kidney arrives in the United States with two blood type-identical young men — aged 23 and 25 years old — who are said to be his cousins from another Island. Neither potential donor speaks English and both carry documents stipulating that they are related to the patient. After preliminary testing, both donors are found medically acceptable with two and three antigen matches respectively (equivalent to a closely related sibling). Uneasy over the actual relationship of patient and donors, the transplant nephrologist discusses the matter with the Indonesian counsel who advises that there is no way to clarify the issue. “In our country,” he advises, “any high placed person can get whatever papers he needs.” Upset over what appears to be fakery, the senior surgical resident declines to scrub on the scheduled transplant operation.