Looser organ collection rules could free up nearly 1,750 kidneys for transplants every year

Some 3,500 kidneys are discarded in the U.S. every year, but loosening regulations could mean 1,750 more kidneys get transplanted. Researchers compared regulations in the U.S. and France, where kidneys from older donors and of lower quality are accepted. Between 2004 and 2014, more than 156,000 kidneys were recovered in the U.S. from deceased donors, but nearly 18% were discarded. At the same time, in France, nearly 30,000 kidneys were recovered and 9% were disposed of. Accepting kidneys from older donors and not relying on biopsies to assess kidney quality would have saved 62% more — or more than 17,400 — kidneys in the U.S. over the decade, the authors say. Some 95,000 Americans are currently waiting for kidney transplants, the authors write, adding that some of these patients may be willing to accept poorer quality kidneys if it meant a shorter wait.