Potential yield of imminent death kidney donation

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Transplantation
• Bioethics

Background:

• Approximately 99,000 individuals are on the kidney transplant waiting list in the U.S.
• Many patients die while awaiting a kidney transplant.
• Imminent death donation, a form of living donation, is gaining attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the number of potential imminent death kidney donors.
• To assess the feasibility of increasing organ availability through end-of-life discussions.

Main Methods:

• Assessed annual deaths of individuals with normal kidney function at a single center.
• Extrapolated findings to national transplant centers.
• Utilized previous survey data on willingness to donate.

Main Results:

• Estimated 76-396 eligible and willing imminent death donors annually in Wisconsin.
• Projected 5,925-31,097 eligible and willing imminent death donors nationally per year.
• Identified a substantial potential increase in kidney donors.

Conclusions:

• Allowing imminent death donation could significantly decrease the kidney waiting list.
• Integrating organ donation conversations into end-of-life planning is crucial.
• This approach offers more opportunities for living kidney donation.