One of the more common organ transplants we hear about are kidney transplants. Most of the cases that make the news are those involving a living donor, who voluntarily gives up a healthy kidney to save someone’s life, often a complete stranger.

According to Living Kidney Donors Network:

Currently, there are over 93,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list. The wait for a deceased donor could be 5 years, and in some states, it is closer to 10 years. Patients are prioritized by how long they’ve been on the waiting list, their blood type, immune system activity and other factors. 80% of the people on the waiting list are on kidney dialysis. The longer a person is on dialysis and has to wait for a transplant, the short and long term success rates are negatively affected. On average, receiving a kidney transplant can double someone’s life expectancy.

According to the National Kidney Foundation:

• There are currently 121,678 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S. Of these, 100,791 await kidney transplants. (as of 1/11/16) 
• The median wait time for an individual’s first kidney transplant is 3.6 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility and availability of organs.
• In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the US. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

On average:

• Over 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month.
• 13 people die each day while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.
• Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant list. 
• In 2014, 4,761 patients died while waiting for a kidney transplant. Another, 3,668 people became too sick to receive a kidney transplant.

There is no doubt that there is a large number of people in need of a kidney donation, whether it be from a living or deceased donor. Knowing this, one has to ask why thousands of kidneys from deceased donors are discarded every year, as reported:

“In the United States, 156,089 kidneys were recovered from deceased donors between 2004 and 2014, of which 128,102 were transplanted, and 27,987 (17.9%) were discarded.” 

… Though the researchers acknowledge that there is no concrete evidence that proves that transplanting the discarded kidneys would have had any benefits, data shows that the U.S. gets rid of twice as many donated kidneys as France, where the European country’s transplant practice has “addressed the unmet need for transplantable organs by accepting lower-quality kidneys from older donors.”…

With 4,761 people dying while waiting for a kidney each year and another 3,668 people getting too sick and weak to undergo a transplant, why are nearly 28,000 donor kidneys being tossed and destroyed? It doesn’t make sense, or does it?

The same report explained:

The researchers said the numbers are, in part, attributed to “intense regulatory scrutiny” of U.S. transplant programs, which are frequently at risk of losing their credentials if the allograft survival of the donated kidneys they use does not last as long as predicted. Allograft refers to the tissue graft of the donor that is not genetically identical to that of the recipient. 

Other factors that have contributed to the alarming number of discarded kidneys reportedly include the financial disincentives associated with transplanting lower-quality kidneys and the inaccurate use of biopsies to determine allograft quality. 

“Although biopsies can yield information about scarring, acute kidney injury, or chronic disease, biopsies may also promote needless discard if the pathologic analysis is completed by individuals who lack sufficient time and skill,” the authors note. 

Doctors Ryoichi Maenosono and Stefan G. Tullius commented:

“It is recognized that the overly stringent and restrictive process of monitoring transplant programs in the United States has resulted in many transplant programs taking a risk averse approach. Hospital administrators and patients alike are attracted by superficial five-star ranking approaches that are easy to read but not necessarily reflective of the approach of individual programs aiming to provide their patients on waiting lists with the best opportunities.”

Higher standards and safety precautions here in the US are causing thousands of Americans in need of a kidney transplant to die while thousands of donor kidneys are tossed in the trash. If you were going to die from lack of a donor kidney, would you be more willing to accept a lower quality kidney, like those they use in France?