Stranger donors: a key link in transplant chains.
Living donation to strangers is a complex issue that has caused some transplant centers to ban the practice altogether. Most prominent of the troublesome issues is the common source of these donors; namely, the Internet. These "stranger donors," however, are critical to both paired kidney transplants and chain kidney transplants. This article presents the ethical complexities of donors in these transplant arrangements and offers 2 case examples from our facility. Rigorous donor screening and informed consent processes are crucial, and together they help make transplant pairs and chains ethically feasible.
California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California 94115, USA. veys_chris@yahoo.com
Christopher G
CG
Veys
Katrina A
KA
Bramstedt
D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility; D033001:Directed Tissue Donation / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020407:Internet / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019520:Living Donors / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States