UCSF Part of Longest Kidney Transplant Chain - Guinness World Record Organization Distinguishes the National Kidney Registry for World’s Longest Kidney Transplant Chain

 (Greenwich, CT – December 3, 2020) Guinness World Records officially recognized the National Kidney Registry (NKR) for the longest kidney transplant chain in the world. This massive chain was supported by the combined efforts of 25 transplant centers, it included 70 surgeries, facilitated 35 transplants and was featured on ABC News’s Nightline.

"Kathy Hart, a Good Samaritan donor, started Chain 357, the longest chain in the world, on January 6th, 2015. Her generous gift to a stranger beganat the University of Minnesota Medical Center and the chain ended at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin on March 26th, 2015. The final recipient in the chain was a Voucher Holder whose donor donated on August 5th, 2014.“Our longest chain prior to 357, included 60 surgeries and took 5 months to complete. Chain 357 included 70 surgeries and took about half the timeto complete, showcasing the tremendous progress achieved in streamlining the paired exchange process.” Explained Garet Hil, Founder and CEO of the National Kidney Registry and a Voucher donor himself.About the National Kidney Registry The National Kidney Registry (www.kidneyregistry.org) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants while protecting all living donors."

UCSF Surgeons who contributed to this world record setting kidney transplant chain included Dr. Chris Freise and Dr. Ryutaro Hirose.

Click here to read the full press release.

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