Kaiser approves kidney transplant for HIV patient

Kaiser Permanente--one of the largest U.S. health maintenance organizations--approved a kidney transplant for a Denver man with HIV on Wednesday, reversing an earlier decision to deny the lifesaving surgery. In September, Kaiser had rejected John Carl's request for a new kidney, calling a transplant on someone with HIV or AIDS too risky because drugs used to suppress rejection of a new organ can jeopardize their already weakened immune systems. "I think [this decision] reflects further understanding of HIV," said John McGrory, the Kaiser physician handling the case. Kaiser has referred Carl to the transplant program at the University of California, San Francisco, where his name was added to its transplant list. Carl, 53, tested positive for HIV in 1988 and, with the help of anti-HIV drug advances, was in fairly good health until kidney failure in 2001 forced him to undergo dialysis three times a week. Despite being accepted by the United Network for Organ Sharing's national list, Carl was turned down for the transplant, according to Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a gay advocacy group. Hayley Gorenberg, AIDS Project director at Lambda Legal, pointed to mounting evidence that HIV "does not significantly affect the outcome of kidney transplantation" as the reason Kaiser reversed its decision.