Willingness to Consider Increased-Risk Donors: A Single-Center Experience in Kidney Transplantation

BACKGROUND: The number of Public Health Service increased-risk organ donors (PHS IRD) is growing, largely from an increase in intravenous drug use overdoses due to the current opioid epidemic.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case series review using our single-center data. We reviewed 82 PHS IRD kidney transplant offers between 2015 and 2017, 20 of which were declined. We reviewed outcomes of patients who declined vs. accepted PHS IRD offers. We studied the effect of education on these patients’ willingness to consider another PHS IRD.
RESULTS: Twenty patients declined PHS IRD over a 2-year period. They waited on average 9 months for another transplant, and tended to be transplanted with a higher-KDPI kidney than the one originally offered. Patients who declined PHS IRD were more likely to be predialysis, women, and Asian American, and to require an interpreter. Ninety-two percent of patients who received education on PHS IRD after declining an offer stated that they would consider another PHS IRD offer in the future. Four of these patients received a PHS IRD transplant.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that education of patients may have a positive impact on patient attitudes toward PHS IRD.

Keywords: Kidney Transplantation, Tissue Donors, Transplantation