For years, the system for parceling out kidneys to those who need transplants hasn't changed all that much. If you need a kidney transplant, you basically get in line and wait your turn. It may take two years or 10, depending on what part of the country you live in, among other things. A 70-year-old may get an organ before a 15-year-old. When your name reaches the top of the list, and a suitable organ becomes available, you receive the transplant, unless you're too sick to survive the surgery. This has been considered the fairest way to distribute a precious commodity in short supply.
But that system is inefficient. It wastes some kidneys. It favors some merely because of where they live. People with short expected life spans receive kidneys that could last much longer, and vice versa. It needs to change.
Fortunately, there's a dramatic new formula under discussion by the nation's organ transplant network that seeks to change how kidneys are doled out. Under this concept, doctors would assess the benefit of a kidney transplant largely by estimating the number of extra years of life a transplant could confer.
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