Congress banned the use of HIV-positive organs for transplant in 1988 because the virus can be transmitted through those organs. This month U.S. health authorities have given their approval for the first ever legal U.S. organ transplant between an HIV-positive donor and recipient.
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) granted permission to Johns Hopkins University Hospital for a liver and kidney transplant between an HIV-positive donor and recipient, the first time such a procedure will be legally performed in the U.S. The procedure will occur as soon as the donor and recipient have been identified and assessed.
Dorry Segev, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine associate professor of surgery said “This is an unbelievably exciting day for our hospital and our team, but more importantly for patients living with HIV and end-stage organ disease. For these individuals it means a new chance at life.” HIV patients die on the organ waiting list even faster than patients who are HIV negative, Segev said. Many become too sick for a transplant to occur.
Procurement of organs for transplant is such a complex process in the U.S. that many people have illegally sought replacement organs outside the country. Segev said that about 1,000 people will have the opportunity for an extended life under a new law enacted by congress in 2013. The HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act) gave permission for doctors to transplant HIV-positive organs into HIV-infected patients.
A study published in the American Journal of Transplantation in 2011 states that “human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer a contraindication to transplantation.” It states that deceased HIV-infected patients represent potentially 500 to 600 donors per year for HIV-positive transplant candidates. “In the current era of HIV management, a legal ban on the use of these organs seems unwarranted and likely harmful.”