10 Nov Why Are So Many Donor Kidneys Discarded?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sumit Mohan, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology
Director, Transplant Outcomes Research at CUMC
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine
Columbia University Medical Center
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Mohan: Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for End Stage Renal Disease but transplantation access is limited in part to the scarcity of organs in the United States. Despite this, currently 17% of all kidneys that are procured in the United States for transplant are discarded – a number that has been steadily increasing. The reasons for the discard of these kidneys is poorly understood and urgently needs to be studied.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Mohan: The discard of potentially transplantable kidneys is a major and growing concern – and as a result, a major focus of ongoing research efforts at Columbia University Medical Center. We reported an almost 20% increase in risk of discard of deceased donor kidneys even after adjusting for organ quality. This would suggest that factors such resource limitations on the weekend, i.e. factors beyond that of organ quality are contributing the discard of potentiallyhttps://medicalresearch.com/author-interviews/using_donor_organs_to_engineer_replacement_kidneys/7762/ from deceased donors in the United States.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Mohan: Identification of and understanding of factors that contribute to the rising discard of transplantable kidneys is essential in order to be able to identify and develop potential strategies and interventions that may mitigate the risk of discard of a transplantable organ.
[wysija_form id=”5″]
Sumit Mohan, MD, MPH (2015). Why Are So Many Donor Kidneys Discarded? MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on November 10, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD