Dealing With the Kidney Discard Problem in the United States—One Potential Solution for a Difficult Problem

In this issue of AJKD, Husain et al1 examine the persistent problem of deceased donor kidney discards in the United States. While the problem has been highlighted for years, the transplant community has been unable to make a significant impact in reducing organ discards. The authors propose a potential solution: by offering a return of original waiting time to recipients whose allograft fails early after transplant, a major concern of centers and candidates might be alleviated. This policy is already in effect for grafts with primary nonfunction and allows for a return of waiting time if the graft meets a definition of failure in the first 90 days post-transplant.