Transplant News stories from June, 2015

Liver forum and committee update- June 30,2015

The current distribution options that have been modeled include 4 and 8 districts, with potential priority (proximity) points for candidates close to the location of the donor hospital. An additional option to be modeled is to add a proximity point component to the existing 11 OPTN regions. Based on your feedback, future results for modeling these options will include variation in candidates’ biologic (or “lab”) MELD/PELD score at transplant, to evaluate the results without the bias of varying exception point practices across the country.

U.S. Organ-Donor System Needs Overhaul: Study

The shortage of organs available for transplant is a major public health problem in the United States, according to study author Erika Martin, of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and her colleagues. Between 1988 and 2010, the number of states with at least one of six major measures designed to boost the organ supply increased from seven to 50, the team reported.

But their review of national data revealed that five of these approaches have not increased donation rates or numbers of transplants.