Kidney Transplantation Committee

The Kidney Transplantation Committee is charged with considering medical, scientific, and ethical aspects related to kidney organ procurement, distribution, and allocation. The Committee considers both the broad implications and the specific member situations relating to kidney issues and policies. The goal of the Committee's work is to develop evidence-based policies aimed at reducing the burden of renal disease in transplant patients (candidates and recipients), increasing kidney utilization, improving access to kidney transplantation as appropriate, and improving the health outcomes of kidney transplant recipients.

Featured reports

• Two new kidney policy monitoring reports available (9/18/2024)
• Deceased kidney donors recovered increase six-months post-implementation minimum donor criteria for kidney biopsies (12/19/2023)
• Early monitoring report shows Black kidney candidates are receiving waiting time modifications after implementation of new policies (12/4/2023)

Current projects

Review

• Continuous Distribution of Kidneys, Winter 2025
• Continuous Distribution of Kidneys Update, Summer 2024
• Continuous Distribution of Kidneys and Pancreata Update
• Efficiency and Utilization in Kidney and Pancreas Continuous Distribution Request for Feedback
• Continuous Distribution of Kidneys and Pancreata Committee Update
• Continuous Distribution of Kidneys & Pancreata Request for Feedback
• Update on Continuous Distribution of Kidneys and Pancreata
• Reassess Inclusion of Race in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) Equation
• Deceased donor initiated KPD chains (7/2017)

Implemented

• Update Kidney Paired Donation Policy
• Align OPTN KPD Blood Type Matching Policy and Establish Donor Re-Evaluation Requirements
• Modify Waiting Time for Candidates Affected by Race-Inclusive Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) Calculations (1/2023)
• Establish Minimum Kidney Donor Criteria to Require Biopsy
• Standardize Kidney Biopsy Reporting and Data Collection (9/2023)
• Distribution of Kidneys and Pancreata from Alaska (12/2019)
• Establish OPTN Requirement for Race- Neutral eGFR Calculations
• Addressing Medically Urgent Candidates in New Kidney Allocation Policy (12/2019)
• Eliminate the use of DSA and Region in kidney allocation policy (11/2019)
• Improving en bloc kidney allocation 2 (7/2017)
• Improving dual kidney allocation (7/2017)
• Simultaneous liver-kidney allocation 2016 (1/2016)
• Proposal for Informed Consent for Kidney Paired Donation (9/2014)

Committee members