Report of National Kidney Foundation Consensus Conference to Decrease Kidney Discards

Abstract

The organ shortage is one of the major challenges in the field of organ transplantation, yet the percentage of kidneys procured and discarded prior to transplantation has continued to rise to twenty percent. The causes of organ discard are complex, yet an urgent need exists for collaborative efforts to maximize the utilization of all potentially transplantable renal allografts. The National Kidney Foundation convened a meeting of experts to identify factors contributing to reduced organ utilization, and to propose actionable solutions to decrease the rate of kidney discards.