Obstacles to Organ Donations: The Dire State of Kidney Transplantation

Kidney disease kills more than 50,000 people each year—more than auto accidents, drug overdoses, or suicides.

There are more than 500,000 people with end‐​stage renal disease currently undergoing dialysis, the majority of whom are Hispanics, African‐​Americans, and Native Americans. The only cure is a kidney transplant.

However, a severe kidney shortage exists right now: while about 17,000 transplants were performed in 2016, about 100,000 patients remain on the waiting list. Thousands of people will die this year without a kidney becoming available for them.

Various methods to increase the supply of available kidneys have proven to be either unworkable or insufficient to significantly allay the shortage.

Join our esteemed panel as we explore various ways to alleviate this critical shortage.