By Kayla Santos
A new, federal kidney allocation system will reduce the amount of donated kidneys that are discarded by surgeons as well as better match the donor organ to the recipient. In 2012, it was determined that 1 in every 5 donated kidneys was discarded by surgeons because they were deemed unsuitable for transplantation. Candidates for transplants will be rated on an EPTS, estimated post-transplant survival score, based on age, time spent on dialysis, whether or not they have diabetes and if they have received a transplant before. The patients who are scored at the top 20% will be given kidneys that are expected to last the longest. The remaining kidneys will be allocated in the same way they are now, based on time spent waiting.This new system will save many more lives.
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