Over 1,000 Transplant Kidneys in US 'Discarded' in 2015-2016; Experts Think It's Bad Idea
Organs play a vital role inside our body and an individual cannot live if one of those organs is missing.
For example, how will an individual breathe if there are no lungs, we will die if the heart suddenly stops doing its function, and how are we going to absorb nutrients from the food we eat if there is no gut to help us.
This is why certain medical procedures are needed when the organs are being attacked by diseases and conditions. In some cases, transplants are done to patients to sustain their life. According to Cleveland Clinic, organ transplantation is important because the recipient's organ may have failed or is damaged by disease or injury.
Alongside the importance of this procedure, Medical Xpress reports a collaboration study between the University of Pennsylvania and the Paris Translational Research Center for Organ Transplantation, demonstrates discarded kidneys in the United States can function acceptably if transplanted.
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On Discarded Kidneys
Dr. Joseph Varon, center, and other medical staff members perform tracheostomy procedure on a patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center on December 14, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to reports, Texas has reached over 1,480,000 cases, including over 24,500 deaths.
Eureka Alert reports that the kidneys which are removed from deceased organ donors in the United States undergo procurement biopsies which will determine if the kidney will be discarded depending on abnormalities are seen in the kidney tissue.
However, Penn Today mentions that French transplant centers would transplant more than 60 percent of the nearly 28,000 kidneys from deceased donors in the United States.
Medical Xpress adds that the researchers were able to analyze biopsy data from a series of 1,103 kidneys discarded in the United States between 2015 and 2016. They further that the researchers discovered that 493 among the kidneys can be matched in terms of biopsy evaluated and other donor physiognomies to 493 kidneys.
Medical Xpress also notes that the 493 kidneys were transplanted in France, due to the country's less restrictive protocol.
READ ALSO: 2-Year-Old Boy with Rare Kidney Syndrome in Need of a Kidney Donor
Results of the Study
According to Eureka Alert, the 493 kidneys shown acceptable survival rates of 93 percent at one year, 81 percent in five years, and 69 percent in 10 years.
The researchers note in Eureka Alert that the kidneys from deceased donors in the United States are being rejected unnecessarily.
Medical Xpress also notes that the researchers are concluding that the biopsy data has no worth in terms of making forecasts of transplant fiasco more precise.
Associate Professor of medicine and epidemiology from University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, Peter Reese notes in Penn Today that the findings highlight differences in organ acceptance between the United States and France and suggesting that this can be beneficial for Americans who are waiting for a kidney transplant.
He also adds in the release that their study demonstrates renewed information regarding the kidneys from older deceased donors to be considered as valuable and underused resources.
Take away
Since the data offers information regarding the discarded kidneys, this will help 100,791 Americans who, according to National Kidney Foundation waits for kidney transplants.
This will help heighten their survival and make them live a better, quality life. Kidneys are an important part of the body, and transplants from donors will help patients who have kidney concerns.
READ NEXT: Planning to be a Living-Liver Donor? Here's What You Need to Know
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Dec 16, 2020 07:59 AM EST
