French organ transplant centers are far more likely to accept “lower-rated” kidneys, like those from older organ donors, than centers in the United States, according to a first-of-its kind analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine. French transplant centers would have transplanted more than 60 percent—about 17,500 kidneys—of the nearly 28,000 deceased-donor kidneys discarded in the United States between 2004 and 2014, according to the research team from Penn Medicine and the Paris Transplant Group.
“These findings highlight the striking disparities in organ acceptance between the two countries and suggest that many of the 90,000 Americans awaiting a kidney transplant could reap major benefits from a more aggressive approach,” says study co-author Peter Reese, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. “Our study provides fresh evidence that organs from older deceased donors are a valuable, underused resource—particularly for people on the waitlist who otherwise may not receive a transplant at all.”
Read more at Penn Medicine News.
