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High-Functioning Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant System Characteristics: The British Columbia Experience With an
Lachlan C McMichael1,2,3, Jagbir Gill1,4, Matthew Kadatz1,5
1Division of Nephrology, Kidney Transplant Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Insights
High cooperation between organ procurement organizations and transplant programs maximizes deceased donor kidney use. British Columbia
Area of Science:
- Transplant Surgery
- Organ Donation
- Nephrology
Background:
- Effective deceased organ donation requires strong collaboration between organ procurement organizations and transplant programs.
- Practices essential for a high-functioning organ donation and transplant system are not fully understood.
- Optimizing deceased donor kidney utilization is critical for addressing transplant waiting lists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report organ donation and transplant performance metrics in British Columbia, Canada.
- To assess the association between specific policies/practices and system performance.
- To identify key factors contributing to successful deceased donor kidney utilization.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study of referred deceased organ donors in British Columbia (January 2016–December 2019).
- Assessment of donor and kidney utilization across the critical pathway for organ donation.
- Analysis of provincial, organ procurement organization, and center-level policies implemented to improve donation and utilization.
Main Results:
- Of 1,948 referred donors, 754 were potential, 587 consented, 480 eligible, 438 actual, and 432 utilized kidney donors (99% utilization).
- One-year all-cause allograft survival was 95%.
- Key practices included hospital donor coordinators, early communication, dedicated surgical teams, age-based allocation, and pre-recovery recipient admission.
Conclusions:
- British Columbia demonstrates exceptionally high consent for donation, kidney utilization, and transplant survival.
- These outcomes suggest the critical importance of an integrated deceased donor and kidney transplant service.
- Specific policies and practices are associated with high performance in organ donation and transplantation.
Rationale & Objective:
A high level of cooperation between organ procurement organizations and transplant programs may help maximize use of deceased donor kidneys. The practices that are essential for a high functioning organ donation and transplant system remain uncertain. We sought to report metrics of organ donation and transplant performance in British Columbia, Canada, and to assess the association of specific policies and practices that contribute to the system's performance.
Study Design:
A retrospective observational study.
Setting & Participants:
Referred deceased organ donors in British Columbia were used in the study from January 1, 2016, to December 31 2019.
Exposures:
Provincial, organ procurement organization, and center level policies were implemented to improve donor referral and organ utilization.
Outcomes:
Assessment of donor and kidney utilization along steps of the critical pathway for organ donation.
Analytical Approach:
Deceased donors were classified according to the critical pathway for organ donation and key donation and transplant metrics were identified.
Results:
There were 1,948 possible donors referred. Of 1,948, 754 (39%) were potential donors. Of 754 potential donors, 587 (78%) were consented donors. Of 587 consented donors, 480 (82%) were eligible kidney donors. Of 480 eligible kidney donors, 438 (91%) were actual kidney donors. And of 438 actual kidney donors, 432 (99%) were utilized kidney donors. One-year all-cause allograft survival was 95%. Practices implemented to improve the system's performance included hospital donor coordinators, early communication between the organ procurement organization and transplant nephrologists, dedicated organ recovery and implant surgeons, aged-based kidney allocation, and hospital admission of recipients before kidney recovery.
Limitations:
Assignment of causality between individual policies and practices and organ donation and utilization is limited in this observational study.
Conclusions:
In British Columbia, consent for donation, utilization of donated kidneys, and transplant survival are exceptionally high, suggesting the importance of an integrated deceased donor and kidney transplant service.
