Affiliation:
1. UCSD Center for Transplantation and Division of Nephrology University of California at San Diego School of Medicine San Diego California USA
2. Department of Philosophy University of Calgary Alberta Canada
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundThe websites of US transplant centers may be a source of information about the renal risks of potential living kidney donors.MethodsTo include only likely best practices, we surveyed websites of centers that performed at least 50 living donor kidney transplants per year. We tabulated how risks were conveyed regarding loss of eGFR at donation, the adequacy of long‐term ESRD risk data, long‐term donor mortality, minority donor ESRD risk, concerns about hyperfiltration injury versus the risk of end‐stage kidney diseases, comparisons of ESRD risks in donors to population risks, the increased risks of younger donors, an effect of the donation itself to increase risk, quantifying risks over specific intervals, and a lengthening list of small post‐donation medical risks and metabolic changes of uncertain significance.ResultsWhile websites had no formal obligation to address donor risks, many offered abundant information. Some conveyed OPTN‐mandated requirements for counseling individual donor candidates. While actual wording often varied, there was general agreement on many issues. We occasionally noted clear‐cut differences among websites in risk characterization and other outliers.ConclusionsThe websites of the most active US centers offer insights into how transplant professionals view living kidney donor risk. Website content may merit further study.