Thursday, March 24, 2011

Under kidney transplant proposal, younger patients would get the best organs

I am a bit late bringing this to you, and sorry I missed it. An article was published online at the Washington Post in late February entitled " Under kidney transplant proposal, younger patients would get the best organs"

Quoted from the article; " The nation's organ-transplant network is considering giving younger, healthier people preference over older, sicker patients for the best kidneys. Instead of giving priority primarily to patients who have been on the waiting list longest, the new rules would match recipients and organs to a greater extent based on factors such as age and health to try to maximize the number of years provided by each kidney - the most sought-after organ for transplants. "

You can read the full article here.

In case you missed it

Also in February from the AP and published at WSJ was this article; "Where you live drives wait for liver transplants"

Excerpted;
"The United Network for Organ Sharing says that in three regions stretching from Ohio down through Tennessee and on to Florida, adults receiving new livers in the past year had median MELD scores of 23 to 24. But in the New York and western Vermont region, liver recipients were far sicker, with a median score of 32. Only the region that includes California fared worse, with 37.
Within regions, rates of people who die on the waiting list or become too sick to transplant range from fewer than 10 percent to more than 25 percent each year.
So UNOS' liver committee is seeking feedback from transplant centers about options to improve, in hopes of proposing changes later this year.
Topping the list: If a liver isn't a good match to the sickest patients within one region - as measured by a MELD of 15 or more - offer it nationwide before giving it to a less sick local patient.".... continue reading.......

Related; Update;MELD score and Liver Transplant
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