Petition To Update Rules To Help Boost Kidney Transplants For CKD And Dialysis Patients
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In 2014 the United Network for Organ Sharing changed rules for the transplant waiting list, aiming to decrease disparities and squeeze the most benefit from a scarce resource - kidneys from deceased donors. While the responses to their changes were mixed, the underlying issue still remains: Long wait times and nearly 5,000 patients dying before ever getting a call for a possible Kidney Transplant. The Kidney Transplant Waiting List is longer than it has ever been and national wait times in some regions of the United States are exceeding 10 years (National Average wait time currently 5 to 7 years). However, a study has found "significant variation in Deceased (Dead) Donor Kidney acceptance rates" which may account for some potentially lifesaving kidneys going unused. Sign the following petition to request a more uniform process so that more kidneys are saved and used - allowing more Chronic Kidney Disease patients to no longer need or avoid having to begin Dialysis.
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After the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology reviewed 7 million Deceased Donor Kidney offers over 5 years, they found key "variables that affect organ acceptance and denials based upon donor-specific characteristics, waitlist-recipient patient characteristics, and Transplant Center-specific policies that potentially contribute to the variance." Reasons for rejecting Deceased Donor Kidneys included donor-related factors, such as patient age or organ quality as well as general Transplant Center policies, such as "the minimum acceptance criteria were not met." What's even more alarming is that some of the previously rejected kidneys are later accepted at other Transplant Centers and successfully used in patients.
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The authors of this study noted that their “findings on organ acceptance may be due to clinical appropriateness (designed to assist Healthcare Professionals in making the most appropriate treatment decision for a specific patient), biologic factors and concerns or subconscious biases (subconsciously looking for evidence to back up already determined conclusions).” While it is understood that Healthcare Professionals and a patient's Transplant Team want to do what is best, mistakenly losing just one potentially viable Kidney Transplant is too many because it could save or greatly improve a Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patient's life.
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Sign the below petition to request that the United Network for Organ Sharing further evaluate the Deceased (Dead) Kidney Donor allocation and acceptance process with an intent to improve efficiency and increase Kidney Transplant availability:
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