Donor kidneys may be discarded due to 'weekend effect' at hospitals

Investigators have uncovered a 'weekend effect' contributing to the worsening availability of donor kidneys in the United States, according to a new report in Kidney International. They found that kidneys that would normally be made available for transplantation were less likely to be procured from donors over the weekend. Further, organs procured during the weekend were more than 20 percent more likely to be discarded than kidneys procured on other days.