The advancement, called positive crossmatch transplants, greatly reduces the chance of organ rejection in patients with elevated antibody levels. Previously, these elevated antibody levels made tissue rejection almost certain. Mayo Clinic is one of three medical centers in the United States that offer this procedure. About 7,000 of those waiting are affected by this elevated antibody level. It was very unlikely they would ever get a transplant.
Dialysis works like an artificial kidney.
Three times a week for four hours at a stretch, patients hook up to a machine that removes waste fluids and regulates the body's chemical and blood balances. Physicians aren't certain what causes patients to have elevated antibody levels that make traditional transplants likely to fail. Many of those with elevated antibody levels have had a previous failed kidney transplant. Others have had multiple pregnancies or multiple blood transfusions. Many are young or middle-aged adults who are otherwise healthy.