A husband and wife have spoken of their joy after surgeons performed kidney transplants between two couples – the first such operations performed on living people who do not know each other.

Roma Horrell, 57, from Cambridgeshire, and a man from Scotland received kidneys from each other’s spouses. Their own partners had hoped to donate their kidneys but were not a suitable match.

On July 4 Mrs Horrell received a kidney from the Scottish man’s wife during surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, to where it had been flown. A few hours later, the Scot underwent an operation at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after a kidney from Mrs Horrell’s husband Peter, 55 was put on the same aircraft for the return journey. The Scottish couple, from Lothian, do not wish to be named.

Living donor transplants have hitherto occurred only between relatives or people with a close emotional relationship, such as couples living together. But a change in the rules last year led the Human Tissue Authority to allow strangers to donate to each other. The new type of “swap” will usually be of kidneys, because it is difficult or impossible to use other organs without harming the live donor.

Experts hope that up to 200 more kidney patients a year could benefit from this kind of transplant in the future. In the first few years, about 50 extra patients a year are expected to benefit. Transplants on a second set of couples are already planned, with a third on the way.

Mrs Horrell said yesterday that the operation had transformed her life. “Everything has improved enormously,” she said. “I can eat what I want, I can enjoy cooking, we can go on holiday. Life is normal again. I feel as though I’ve got hope for the future.”

Adrian McNeil, chief executive of the authority, said: “This country has reached a milestone in how organs are donated. I believe that our announcement paves the way for a new era. “ We hope this novel way of matching donors will improve and save many more lives. We want more people to understand that this form of donation exists, so that more people can benefit. We have two couples to-day celebrating the gift of life.”

Chris Rudge, of UK Transplant, said: “This first successful paired kidney transplant is a very welcome development – for the patients themselves and because it offers new opportunities for all those others still waiting for their transplant.”

Most organs are donated from people who have died, but more transplants are now being carried out using living donors. Last year, there were 698 living donor transplants, of which 690 involved kidneys. A further eight were partial liver transplants. There were a further 1,440 kidney transplants involving dead donors. At present, 6,487 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, a further 159 needing a combination transplant involving a kidney and a pancreas.

About one in three people who opt to be a living donor is not a suitable match for their loved one. It is thought that these people could enter the new “pooling” scheme with other couples to find a tissue and blood-type match.

There are 31 couples in the new scheme, with each couple made up of partners or close relatives, or people with a close emotional tie.

Each couple is prevented from becoming acquainted with the other before the transplants. so as to mini-mise pressure on the donors. Paired transplants have previously been carried out in the US and Holland.

John Forsyth, consultant surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, headed the teams in Scotland and took part in retrieving the kidney from the Scottish man’s wife. Murat Akyol was the lead transplant surgeon who implanted the healthy kidney into the man from Scotland.

In Cambridge, Andrew Bradley headed the teams and was lead surgeon for the transplant into Mrs Horrell. Professor Bradley said: “When someone like Peter wants to donate a kidney to his wife, we’ve got to establish that the transplant will work. The donor and recipient need to have compatible blood groups, and the recipient mustn’t have antibodies that will make them reject the organ.

“About a third of our potential living donors – including Peter – turn out not to be compatible with the recipient. That’s where this new pooling scheme comes in.”

Medical history

1,800 kidney transplants performed in Britain every year

6,487 people are waiting for kidney transplants

1954 year of the first successful kidney transplant, in the US, on identical twin brothers

1960 year of the first living donor kidney transplant in Britain – performed in Edinburgh

1964 medication allows transplants from deceased donors

Source: Times Database

Explore Health

• Health Features

• Expert Advice

• Alternative Medicine

• Mental Health

• Child Health

• Health Club