Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Feb:27 Suppl 1:e14248.
doi: 10.1111/petr.14248. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Deceased donor organ allocation in pediatric transplantation: A historical narrative

Robert Ettenger  1 , Robert S Venick  1 , Hans A Gritsch  2 , Juan C Alejos  1 , Patricia L Weng  1 , Rachana Srivastava  1 , Meghan Pearl  1
Affiliations
Review

Deceased donor organ allocation in pediatric transplantation: A historical narrative

Robert Ettenger et al. Pediatr Transplant. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Since the earliest clinical successes in solid organ transplantation, the proper method of organ allocation for children has been a contentious subject. Over the past 30-35 years, the medical and social establishments of various countries have favored some degree of preference for children on the respective waiting lists. However, the specific policies to accomplish this have varied widely and changed frequently between organ type and country.

Methods: Organ allocation policies over time were examined. This review traces the reasons behind and the measures/principles put in place to promote early deceased donor transplantation in children.

Results: Preferred allocation in children has been approached in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of commitment in different solid organ transplant disciplines and national medical systems.

Conclusion: The success of policies to advantage children has varied significantly by both organ and medical system. Further work is needed to optimize allocation strategies for pediatric candidates.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Iglehart JK. The politics of transplantation. N Engl J Med. 1984;310(13):864-868.
    1. McDiarmid SV, Pruett TL, Graham WK. The oversight of solid organ transplantation in the United States. Am J Transplant. 2008;8(4):739-744.
    1. Starzl TE, Gordon RD, Tzakis A, et al. Equitable allocation of extrarenal organs: with special reference to the liver. Transplant Proc. 1988;20(1):131-138.
    1. Stegall MD, Stock PG, Andreoni K, Friedewald JJ, Leichtman AB. Why do we have the kidney allocation system we have today? A history of the 2014 kidney allocation system. Hum Immunol. 2017;78(1):4-8.
    1. McDiarmid SV, Davies DB, Edwards EB. Improved graft survival of pediatric liver recipients transplanted with pediatric-aged liver donors. Transplantation. 2000;70(9):1283-1291.

LinkOut - more resources