Chapter 20, Problem 5CCS

Remember Mr. Ayers, the bus driver from Chapter 18? When we last saw him, he was headed for surgery. Although his dissected aorta was repaired, by the time surgical exposure and blood vessel clamping had been achieved, the dissection had extended up into the origin of his left common carotid artery. As a result, a clot formed that caused a massive stroke. Unfortunately, this left him with severe and permanent brain damage, and he was declared brain dead.

A discussion of Mr. Ayers’s situation with his family confirmed his status as an organ donor. The organ recovery coordinator evaluated Mr. Ayers’s suitability as a candidate for organ donation. Tissue typing (histocompatibility) tests were conducted, and the results were entered into the UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) database. Two potential recipients were identified. Mr. Ayers’s right kidney was given in transplantation to a 35-year-old man, and his left kidney was given to a 27-year-old woman. Following surgery, both recipients were placed on immunosuppressive drug therapy.

Why were the recipients of the two kidneys put on immunosuppressive drug therapy?