Analysis of Survival Benefits of Living Versus Deceased Donor Liver Transplant in High Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and Hepatorenal Syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous recommendations suggested living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) should not be considered for patients with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) > 25 and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). APPROACH AND RESULTS: Patients who were listed with MELD > 25 from 2008 to 2017 were analyzed with intention-to-treat (ITT) basis retrospectively. Patients who had a potential live donor were analyzed as ITT-LDLT, whereas those who had none belonged to ITT-deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) group. ITT-overall survival (OS) was analyzed from the time of listing. Three hundred twenty-five patients were listed (ITT-LDLT n = 212, ITT-DDLT n = 113). The risk of delist/death was lower in the ITT-LDLT group (43.4% vs. 19.8%, P < 0.001), whereas the transplant rate was higher in the ITT-LDLT group (78.3% vs. 52.2%, P < 0.001). The 5-year ITT-OS was superior in the ITT-LDLT group (72.6% vs. 49.5%, P < 0.001) for patients with MELD > 25 and patients with both MELD > 25 and HRS (56% vs. 33.8%, P < 0.001). Waitlist mortality was the highest early after listing, and the distinct alteration of slope at survival curve showed that the benefits of ITT-LDLT occurred within the first month after listing. Perioperative outcomes and 5-year patient survival were comparable for patients with MELD > 25 (88% vs. 85.4%, P = 0.279) and patients with both MELD > 25 and HRS (77% vs. 76.4%, P = 0.701) after LDLT and DDLT, respectively. The LDLT group has a higher rate of renal recovery by 1 month (77.4% vs. 59.1%, P = 0.003) and 3 months (86.1% vs, 74.5%, P = 0.029), whereas the long-term estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was similar between the 2 groups. ITT-LDLT reduced the hazard of mortality (hazard ratio = 0.387-0.552) across all MELD strata. CONCLUSIONS: The ITT-LDLT reduced waitlist mortality and allowed an earlier access to transplant. LDLT in patients with high MELD/HRS was feasible, and they had similar perioperative outcomes and better renal recovery, whereas the long-term survival and eGFR were comparable with DDLT. LDLT should be considered for patients with high MELD/HRS, and the application of LDLT should not be restricted with a MELD cutoff.

The need for a living donor wellness program.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Living donation has a tremendous impact in bridging the gap between the shortage of organs and the growing list of transplant candidates but remains underutilized as a percentage of total transplants performed. This review focuses on obesity and social determinants of health as potential barriers to the expansion of living kidney donation. RECENT FINDINGS: The growing rate of obesity and associated metabolic syndrome make many potential donors unacceptable as donor candidates because of the future risk for developing chronic health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. There is also increasing evidence demonstrating socioeconomic differences and racial disparities potentially limit access to living donation in certain populations. These potentially modifiable factors are not exclusive of each other and together serve as significant contributing factors to lower rates of living donation. SUMMARY: Living donors make sacrifices to provide the gift of life to transplant recipients, despite the potential risks to their own health. Studies describing risk factors to living donation call attention to the overall need for more action to prioritize and promote the health and well being of living donors.

Long-Term Financial, Psychosocial, and Overall Health-Related Quality of Life After Living Liver Donation.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of living liver donation (LD) in a diverse and aging population up to 20 y after donation, particularly with regard to medical, financial, psychosocial, and overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHODS: Patients undergoing LD between 1999 and 2009 were recruited to respond to the Short-Form 36 and a novel Donor Quality of Life Survey at two time points (2010 and 2018). RESULTS: Sixty-eight living liver donors (LLDs) completed validated surveys, with a mean follow-up of 11.5 ± 5.1 y. Per Donor Quality of Life Survey data, physical activity or strength was not impacted by LD in most patients. All respondents returned to school or employment, and 82.4% reported that LD had no impact on school or work performance. LD did not impact health insurability in 95.6% of donors, and only one patient experienced difficulty obtaining life insurance. Overall, 97.1% of respondents did not regret LD. Short-Form 36 survey-measured outcomes were similar between LLDs and the general U.S. POPULATION: LLDs who responded in both 2010 and 2018 were followed for an overall average of 15.4 ± 2.4 y and HRQOL outcomes in these donors also remained statistically equivalent to U.S. population norms. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the longest postdonation follow-up and offers unique insight related to HRQOL in a highly diverse patient population. Although LLDs continue to maintain excellent HRQOL outcomes up to 20 y after donation, continued lifetime follow-up is required to accurately provide young, healthy potential donors with an accurate description of the risks that they may incur on aging.

Cost-effectiveness of four living-donor nephrectomy techniques from a hospital perspective.

BACKGROUND: In Europe, transplantation centres use different nephrectomy techniques: open surgery, and standard, hand-assisted and robot-assisted laparoscopies. Few studies have analysed the disparity in costs and clinical outcomes between techniques. Since donors are healthy patients expecting minimum pain and fast recovery, this study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of four nephrectomy techniques focusing on early surgical outcomes, an essential in the donation act. METHODS: A micro-costing approach was used to estimate the cost of implementation from a hospital perspective. Estimates took into account sterilization costs for multiple-use equipment, costs for purchasing single-use equipment, staff and analgesics. The study recruited donors in 20 centres in France. Quality of life by EuroQol-5D was assessed preoperatively, and 4 and 90 days post-operatively. Two effectiveness indicators were built: quality-of-life recovery and post-operative pain days averted (PPDA). The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02830568, on 10 June 2010. RESULTS: A total of 264 donors were included; they underwent open surgery (n = 65), and standard (n = 65), hand-assisted (n = 65) and robot-assisted laparoscopies (n = 69). Use of the nephrectomy techniques differed greatly in cost of implementation and immediate post-operative outcomes but not in clinical outcomes at 90 days. At 4 days, hand-assisted laparoscopy provided the lowest cost per quality-of-life recovery unit of effectiveness (%) and PPDA (days) (€2056/40.1%/2.3 days, respectively). Robot-assisted laparoscopy was associated with the best post-operative outcomes but with the highest cost (€3430/59.1%/2.6 days). CONCLUSION: Hand-assisted, standard and robot-assisted laparoscopies are cost-effective techniques compared with open surgery. Hand-assisted surgery is the most cost-effective procedure. Robot-assisted surgery requires more healthcare resource use but enables the best clinical outcome.

Best practices to optimize utilization of the National Living Donor Assistance Center for the financial assistance of living organ donors.

Living organ donors face direct costs when donating an organ, including transportation, lodging, meals, and lost wages. For those most in need, the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) provides reimbursement to defray travel and subsistence costs associated with living donor evaluation, surgery, and follow-up. While this program currently supports 9% of all US living donors, there is tremendous variability in its utilization across US transplant centers, which may limit patient access to living donor transplantation. Based on feedback from the transplant community, NLDAC convened a Best Practices Workshop on August 2, 2018, in Arlington, VA, to identify strategies to optimize transplant program utilization of this valuable resource. Attendees included team members from transplant centers that are high NLDAC users; the NLDAC program team; and Advisory Group members. After a robust review of NLDAC data and engagement in group discussions, the workgroup identified concrete best practices for administrative and transplant center leadership involvement; for individuals filing NLDAC applications at transplant centers; and to improve patient education about potential financial barriers to living organ donation. Multiple opportunities were identified for intervention to increase transplant programs' NLDAC utilization and reduce financial burdens inhibiting expansion of living donor transplantation in the United States.

Mitigating Racial and Sex Disparities in Access to Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: Impact of the Nation's Longest Single-center Kidney Chain.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought to assess likelihood of living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) within a single-center kidney transplant waitlist, by race and sex, after implementation of an incompatible program. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Disparities in access to LDKT exist among minority women and may be partially explained by antigen sensitization secondary to prior pregnancies, transplants, or blood transfusions, creating difficulty finding compatible matches. To address these and other obstacles, an incompatible LDKT program, incorporating desensitization and kidney paired donation, was created at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed among our kidney transplant waitlist candidates (n = 8895). Multivariable Cox regression was utilized, comparing likelihood of LDKT before (era 1: 01/2007-01/2013) and after (era 2: 01/2013-11/2018) implementation of the incompatible program. Candidates were stratified by race [white vs minority (nonwhite)], sex, and breadth of sensitization. RESULTS: Program implementation resulted in the nation's longest single-center kidney chain, and likelihood of LDKT increased by 70% for whites [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.46-1.99] and more than 100% for minorities (aHR 2.05; 95% CI, 1.60-2.62). Improvement in access to LDKT was greatest among sensitized minority women [calculated panel reactive antibody (cPRA) 11%-49%: aHR 4.79; 95% CI, 2.27-10.11; cPRA 50%-100%: aHR 4.09; 95% CI, 1.89-8.82]. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an incompatible program, and the resulting nation's longest single-center kidney chain, mitigated disparities in access to LDKT among minorities, specifically sensitized women. Extrapolation of this success on a national level may further serve these vulnerable populations.

Ethnic background is associated with no live kidney donor identified at the time of first transplant assessment-an opportunity missed? A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Patients from ethnocultural minorities have reduced access to live donor kidney transplant (LDKT). To explore early pretransplant ethnocultural disparities in LDKT readiness, and the impact of the interactions with the transplant program, we assessed if patients had a potential live donor (LD) identified at first pretransplant assessment, and if patients with no LD initially received LDKT subsequently. Single-center, retrospective cohort of adults referred for kidney transplant (KT) assessment. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between ethnicity and having a potential LD. Cox proportional hazard analysis assessed the association between no potential LD initially and subsequent LDKT. Of 1617 participants, 66% of Caucasians indicated having a potential LD, compared with 55% of South Asians, 44% of African Canadians, and 41% of East Asians (P < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the odds of having a potential LD identified was significantly lower for African, East and South Asian Canadians. No potential LD at initial KT assessment was associated with lower likelihood of LDKT subsequently (hazard ratio [HR], 0.14; [0.10-0.19]). Compared to Caucasians, African, East and South Asian and African Canadians are less likely to have a potential LD identified at first KT assessment, which predicts a lower likelihood of subsequent LDKT.

Reducing Cost and Complexity of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Universal Donors for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

INTRODUCTION: Fecal microbiota transplantation resolves recurrent Clostridium difficile infections in greater than 82% of patients. Highly screened, processed universal donor fecal material is available. We compared cost and scheduling efficiency of fecal microbiota transplantation by universal donors to patient-directed donors. METHODS: Medical records from a prospectively maintained database of recurrent C. difficile patients who underwent fecal microbiota transplantation between 2012 and 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient-directed donor stool was prepared in our microbiology laboratory using protocol-based screening. We transitioned to purchasing and using universal donor fecal material in 2015. Clinical outcomes, adverse events, time between consult to infusion, consultation fees, and material costs were compared. This was a retrospective comparison of two historical cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 111 fecal microbiota transplantations were performed on 105 patients (56 from patient-directed donors and 55 from universal donors). Median recipient age was 66 years (18-96) with male to female ratio of 1:2.7, equivalent in both cohorts. Total consultation fees were significantly lower in the universal donor group owing to fewer infectious disease consultations. Costs for donor screening and stool preparation were lower in the universal donor cohort ($485.0 vs. $1189.90 ± 541.4, p < 0.001, 95% CI 559.9-849.9). Time from consultations to infusion was shorter in the universal donor cohort (18.9 ± 19.1 vs. 36.4 ± 23.3 days, p < 0.001, 95% CI 9.521-25.591). Recurrences within 8 weeks after fecal microbiota transplantation were equivalent (p = 0.354). Adverse events were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: Fecal microbiota transplantation using universal donors versus patient-directed donors for recurrent C. difficile showed comparable efficacy and short-term complications. The use of universal donors resulted in significant cost savings and scheduling efficiency.

Assessment of Postdonation Outcomes in US Living Kidney Donors Using Publicly Available Data Sets.

Importance: There are limited resources providing postdonation conditions that can occur in living donors (LDs) of solid-organ transplant. Consequently, it is difficult to visualize and understand possible postdonation outcomes in LDs. Objective: To assemble an open access resource that is representative of the demographic characteristics in the US national registry, maintained by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and administered by the United Network for Organ Sharing, but contains more follow-up information to help to examine postdonation outcomes in LDs. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cohort study in which the data for the resource and analyses stemmed from the transplant data set derived from 27 clinical studies from the ImmPort database, which is an open access repository for clinical studies. The studies included data collected from 1963 to 2016. Data from the United Network for Organ Sharing Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network national registry collected from October 1987 to March 2016 were used to determine representativeness. Data analysis took place from June 2016 to May 2018. Data from 20 ImmPort clinical studies (including clinical trials and observational studies) were curated, and a cohort of 11 263 LDs was studied, excluding deceased donors, LDs with 95% or more missing data, and studies without a complete data dictionary. The harmonization process involved the extraction of common features from each clinical study based on categories that included demographic characteristics as well as predonation and postdonation data. Main Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-six postdonation events were identified, represented, and analyzed via a trajectory network analysis. Results: The curated data contained 10 869 living kidney donors (median [interquartile range] age, 39 [31-48] years; 6175 [56.8%] women; and 9133 [86.6%] of European descent). A total of 9558 living kidney donors with postdonation data were analyzed. Overall, 1406 LDs (14.7%) had postdonation events. The 4 most common events were hypertension (806 [8.4%]), diabetes (190 [2.0%]), proteinuria (171 [1.8%]), and postoperative ileus (147 [1.5%]). Relatively few events (n = 269) occurred before the 2-year postdonation mark. Of the 1746 events that took place 2 years or more after donation, 1575 (90.2%) were nonsurgical; nonsurgical conditions tended to occur in the wide range of 2 to 40 years after donation (odds ratio, 38.3; 95% CI, 4.12-1956.9). Conclusions and Relevance: Most events that occurred more than 2 years after donation were nonsurgical and could occur up to 40 years after donation. Findings support the construction of a national registry for long-term monitoring of LDs and confirm the value of secondary reanalysis of clinical studies.

Deceased Donor-initiated Chains: First Report of a Successful Deliberate Case and Its Ethical Implications.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that deceased donor kidneys could be used to initiate chains of living donor kidney paired donation, but the potential gains of this practice need to be quantified and the ethical implications must be addressed before it can be implemented. METHODS: The gain of implementing deceased donor-initiated chains was measured with an algorithm, using retrospective data on the pool of incompatible donor/recipient pairs, at a single center. The allocation rules for chain-ending kidneys and the characteristics and quality of the chain-initiating kidney are described. RESULTS: The benefit quantification process showed that, with a pool of 69 kidneys from deceased donors and 16 pairs enrolled in the kidney paired donation program, it was possible to transplant 8 of 16 recipients (50%) over a period of 3 years. After obtaining the approval of the Veneto Regional Authority's Bioethical Committee and the revision of the Italian National Transplant Center's allocation policies, the first successful case was completed. For the recipient (male, aged 53 y), who entered the program for a chain-initiating kidney with a Kidney Donor Risk Index of 0.61 and a Kidney Donor Profile Index of 3%, the waiting time was 4 days. His willing donor (female, aged 53 y) with a Living Kidney Donor Profile Index of 2, donated 2 days later to a chain-ending recipient (male, aged 47 y) who had been on dialysis for 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a successfully completed, deliberate deceased donor-initiated chain, which was made possible after a thorough assessment of the ethical issues and the impact of allocation policies. This article includes a preliminary efficacy assessment and describes the development of a dedicated algorithm.

Surgical Aspects of Liver Transplantation and Domino Liver Transplantation in Maple Syrup Urine Disease: Analysis of 15 Donor-Recipient Pairs.

Liver transplantation (LT) has been shown to be a feasible treatment in patients with severe forms of maple syrup urine disease (MSUD). Because of a sufficient extrahepatic enzyme activity in non-MSUD individuals, the organ of MSUD patients can be used as a domino graft. We performed a retrospective data collection of all LTs for MSUD carried out at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (2016-2018). Moreover, data from all consecutive domino LTs of the MSUD grafts either transplanted at our institution or allocated to other transplant centers were analyzed. During the study period, 15 LTs in MSUD patients were performed (12 children, 3 adults; median age, 10.9 years; range, 0.3-26.1 years). Biliary complications occurred in 20%, and 13.3% suffered from bleeding complications. No further surgical problems occurred. At present, all MSUD patients are alive with a well-functioning liver graft and on an unrestricted diet. In total, 14 consecutive domino LTs were performed. No surgical complications requiring intervention occurred. One patient died because of HCC relapse, and all other patients are alive with good liver graft function. In conclusion, the use of MSUD livers as domino grafts is safe and allows application of LT in MSUD patients without net extraction of a liver graft from the limited donor pool.

Financial compensation for organ donors.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With an increasing demand for donor organs, strategies to increase the number of available donor organs have become more focused. Compensating donors for donation is one strategy proposed to increase the availability of organs for transplant. This has been implemented in several systems internationally, but debate continues in the United States with respect to appropriate strategies. The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) currently prohibits the transfer of any human organ 'for valuable consideration' for transplantation, but allows for the removal of financial disincentives. RECENT FINDINGS: Several proposals currently exist for compensating patients for living donation. Recent data have focused on studying and creating mechanisms for reimbursement of costs incurred as part of the donation process, which is related to the removal of disincentives to living donation. Others have advocated for the provision of actual incentives to patients for the act of donating, in an attempt to further expand living donation. The current debate focuses on what measures can reasonably be taken to increase donation, and whether additional incentives will encourage more donation or reduce the motivation for altruistic donation. SUMMARY: Currently, the transplant community broadly supports the removal of disincentives for living donors, including reimbursement of expenses for travel, housing and lost wages incurred during evaluation, surgery and after care. Others have advocated for financial incentives to further increase the number of donor organs available for transplant. Although the removal of disincentives is currently allowed under the existing legal structure of NOTA, providing financial incentives for living donation would require further evaluation of the economics, law, ethics and public readiness for a significant policy shift.

Risk of subsequent health disorders among living kidney donors.

Few studies have investigated the risk of physiological sequelae in living kidney donors (KDs). We conducted a population-based cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, which covers more than 99% of citizens.We comprehensively investigated the risk of medical disorders after kidney donation in living KDs using a maximum follow-up of 13 years. From January 1997 to December 2010, 1081 living KDs and 1082 age- and sex-matched non-KDs were eligible. Primary outcomes comprised end-stage renal disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, cancer, acute myocardial infarction, acute renal failure (ARF), and diabetes.The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for developing ARF, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cancer, end-stage renal disease, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke were similar between the KD and non-KD cohorts (P > .05). Although differences in the adjusted HRs of ARF were nonsignificant, the cumulative incidence rate of ARF 13 years after donation was 7.48 per 1000 person-years in the KD cohort compared with 3.46 in the matched non-KD cohort. The incidence rate ratio for ARF between donors and nondonors significantly increased to 2.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.61-2.71).Living KDs experienced no significant health disorders following kidney donation but should be alert to the higher incidence rate of ARF.

A Contemporary Analysis of Outcomes and Modifiable Risk Factors of Ethnic Disparities in Kidney Transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide a contemporary analysis of longitudinal kidney transplant outcomes and to evaluate potential causes of ethnic disparities among African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients undergoing kidney transplantation at our institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1400 patients were identified who underwent kidney transplantation from 2003 to 2013 from a large, academic institution in Cleveland, OH. Relevant recipient and donor demographic and clinical covariates were obtained from an institutional transplant database. Simple descriptive statistics and comparative survival analyses were performed to assess overall survival and graft survival. RESULTS: The final cohort was comprised of 341 AA and 1059 CA patients. AAs were less likely to receive a living donor transplant (27.6% vs. 57.2%, p < 0.001) compared to CAs. Overall patient survival did not significantly differ between the two groups even when stratified by ethnicity. However, AAs had a significantly lower rate of graft survival (p < 0.001). On stratified analysis, there was no difference in the rate of graft survival among AAs and CAs who received living donor grafts. On univariate analysis, AAs demonstrated higher rates of immunosuppression non-compliance and chronic rejection (both p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, AA recipient ethnicity (HR 1.56, p = 0.047), recipient history of diabetes (HR 1.67, p < 0.001), and AA donor ethnicity (HR 1.56, p = 0.047) were significantly associated with graft failure. CONCLUSION: AAs undergoing deceased donor renal transplantation demonstrated lower graft survival compared to CAs. Conversely, this disparity did not exist among AAs undergoing living donor transplantation. AAs had higher rates of deceased donor transplantation, immunosuppression non-compliance, chronic rejection, and diabetes. Opportunities exist to use patient education, alternative immunosuppression regimens, and living transplantation to close the ethnic disparity in renal allograft survival.

Women donate, men receive: gender disparity among renal donors.

In living donor kidney transplantation, a predominance of female-to-male donations has been observed. This gender disparity is more so in developing countries and requires targeted counseling and research to understand whether the cause is medical or sociocultural obstacles. The aim of this study was to analyze all living donor kidney transplants performed at a tertiary care center catering to patients of varied socioeconomic backgrounds. This was a retrospective cohort study of all 600 kidney donors who underwent donor nephrectomy at a single transplant center, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur, between 2013 and November 2018. Patient characteristics including gender, age, and relationship between donors and recipients were obtained. There was a significant increase in the amount of voluntary renal donations, almost doubling every year. Majority (78%) of the donors were females, whereas males contributed to 22% of renal donations. We observed that mothers were the highest number of donors accounting for 181 donations (n = 600), followed by wives who contributed to 102 of the renal donors (n = 600), and 98 (16.3%) fathers donated to their children. Fifteen percent of the donors donated kidney to their siblings. We found gender disparity in living donor kidney transplant in a single center that caters to a population of varied cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. We anticipate these results will guide clinicians and living donor coordinators and lead to appropriate counseling for patients and potential donors.

[Kidney exchange programmes in Europe. What is the status of Hungary? A summary of the first results of the ENCKEP (European Network for Collaboration on Kidney Exchange Programmes) COST Action]. / Élodonoros vesecsereprogramok Európában. Hol tart Magyarország? Összefoglaló tanulmány az ENCKEP (European Network for Collaboration on Kidney Exchange Programmes) COST Action eddigi eredményei alapján.

Patients with end-stage renal disease may exchange their willing, but incompatible donors among each other in centrally coordinated kidney exchange programmes. The aim of this writing is to summarise the results of the ENCKEP COST Action, and describe the lessons learned with regard to the plans for the Hungarian kidney exchange programme. The ENCKEP COST Action had several workshops since 2016 September, and its first working group conducted two surveys that they summarised in two handbooks; our description is based on these resources. There are already 10 national kidney exchange programmes in Europe, the oldest is in the Netherlands (operating since 2004) and the largest in the United Kingdom, where already more than 700 patients received a kidney through this programme in the last ten years. There are a number of countries with plans to start a kidney exchange programme, and international collaborations are also getting established in several regions. Kidney exchange programmes can significantly increase the opportunities of the kidney patients for getting living donor transplants, but for the successful operation of a kidney exchange programme the organisers have to resolve several medical, logistic, optimisation, ethical and legal issues. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(46): 1905-1912.

Socioeconomic Status in Non-directed and Voucher-based Living Kidney Donation.

BACKGROUND: Little has been reported about the socioeconomic status (SES) and demographics of non-directed (altruistic) and voucher-based donation. OBJECTIVE: To analyze common characteristics amongst altruistic donors in order to promote non-directed and voucher-based donation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Information regarding altruistic donations from 2008 to 2015 and voucher-based donors was obtained from the National Kidney Registry. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: An SES index, created and validated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), was created by geocoding the donor's zip code and linking it to seven publicly available SES variables found in the 2010 United States Census data. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: In total, 267 non-directed and 3 voucher-based donations were identified. Non-directed donors were predominantly female (58%), with an average age of 45.6 yr (range, 21-72). The mean SES index score was 55.6 (SD=3.2), which corresponds to the 77th percentile of 1.5 million MediCare beneficiaries as reported by the AHRQ in 2008. Voucher-based donors were Caucasian males of high SES. The study was limited by the number of voucher-based donations. CONCLUSIONS: Non-directed and voucher-based donors are in the upper end of the economic spectrum. The voucher-based program has built within it the inherent capacity to remove disincentives to donation, which currently limit altruistic donation. PATIENT SUMMARY: We wanted to determine what types of people donated their kidneys altruistically, so that we could understand how to motivate more people to donate their kidneys. The voucher-based program was recently started and is a promising tool to motivate many people to donate kidneys by removing major disincentives to donation.

Assessment of donor satisfaction as an essential part of living donor kidney transplantation: an eleven-year retrospective study.

Living kidney donors seem highly satisfied with donation. However, previous studies measure satisfaction by a single-item or by simply questioning donors' willingness to donate again or to recommend living donation. With the aim of analyzing whether satisfaction with donation is a multidimensional construct, thus allowing a more specific characterization of dissatisfied donors, 332 living kidney donors (2005-2015) answered a renewed version of the European Living Donation and Public Health Project satisfaction survey. Exploratory factor-analyses suggested that satisfaction was composed of three-factors: violation of donors' expectancies about donation; interference of donation on daily activities, and pain and discomfort. Donors reported high levels of satisfaction. However, cluster-analysis identified a subgroup characterized by a higher discrepancy between the expected and the actually experienced during donation, higher interference on daily activities, and higher pain and discomfort. Most of them considered that hospital discharge was premature, suffered economic losses and perceived worse health outcomes of their recipients. Single questions assessing donors' willingness to donate again or to recommend living donation were unable to differentiate between clusters. In summary, donor's satisfaction seems better characterized by three dimensions than by single questions.

Complete Chain of the First Global Kidney Exchange Transplant and 3-yr Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Global Kidney Exchange (GKE) offers an opportunity to expand living renal transplantation internationally to patients without financial means. These international pairs are entered into a US kidney exchange program that provides long-term financial support in an effort to identify opportunities for suitable exchanges for both these international pairs and US citizens. OBJECTIVE: While the promise of GKE is significant, it has been met with ethical criticism since its inception in 2015. This paper aims to demonstrate the selection process and provide >3 yr of follow-up on the first GKE donor and recipient from the Philippines. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The first GKE transplant occurred with a young Filipino husband and wife who were immunologically compatible, but lacked the financial means to continue hemodialysis or undergo a kidney transplant in their home country. The pair was enrolled in the Alliance for Paired Donation matching system, several alternative kidney exchanges were identified, and the pair subsequently underwent renal transplantation and donation in the USA financed by philanthropy. The resulting nonsimultaneous extended altruistic chain provided transplantation for the Filipino husband and 11 US patients. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Filipino donor and recipient were followed by transplant professionals in both the Philippines and the USA. Follow-up data were maintained as required by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network in the USA. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The Filipino donor has normal blood pressure and renal function, and the Filipino recipient is doing well 3.5 yr after their donation and transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: While criticisms of GKE highlight concerns for possible exploitation of financially disadvantaged groups, these results demonstrate that these concerns did not come to fruition, and the outcome experienced by the GKE donor and recipient (and other US participants) was successful. PATIENT SUMMARY: The first Filipino Global Kidney Exchange (GKE) donor-recipient pair continues to be followed by both US and Filipino transplant centers. Both are in good health, support the GKE program, and advocate for its expansion.