Identification of a Patient Population Previously Not Considered for Organ Donation

For the foreseeable future, more individuals will need a kidney than there are kidneys available for transplant. This is not a new issue, and it is one that will not likely be solved anytime soon. While recent initiatives have focused on efficiently allocating kidneys in order to maximize supply, a shortage will remain. Currently, organs are made available for transplant through three different processes: donation after brain death declaration (BD), donation after circulatory death (DCD), and living donation (one healthy individual donates to a person in need). The objective of this article is to discuss the possibility of a fourth option in imminent death single kidney donation (IDSKD) and its potential effects on the future of donation and transplantation. During our study, IDSKD had the potential to increase the number of kidneys transplanted in our service area by approximately 5%.