The impact of systematic review of status 7 patients on the kidney transplant waitlist

Ashish Kataria, Madan Gowda, Brian Paul Lamphron, Kabir Jalal, Rocco C. Venuto, Aijaz A. Gundroo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Increased morbidity and mortality are well documented in Status 7(inactive list) patients. Delays in transplantation secondary to prolonged periods on inactive status also negatively impacts transplant outcomes. We developed an effective system to reduce the proportion of status 7 patients on our kidney transplant waitlist. This can easily be reproduced by other transplant centers since concerns about Status 7 list size are commonplace. Methods: Meetings of a dedicated status 7 focus group were undertaken biweekly beginning in April 2016, each lasting for 1 hour or less. The group was led by a transplant physician and comprised of members from all disciplines of the kidney transplant department. Individual patient barriers to activation were systematically evaluated and action plans were developed to overcome those. The formal meetings were supplemented by updates to an electronic database accessible to all members of the team. Results: In the first 2 years of the program, we were able to activate and eventually transplant 18% of the formerly inactive patients. Forty percent of all inactive patients were removed from the waitlist due to one or more unsurmountable barriers. The median time patients stayed inactive on the waitlist was shortened from 1344 days at the start of this initiative to 581 days at the end. Conclusion: This strategy of systematic reevaluation of status 7 patients resulted in successful disposition of a substantial number of inactive patients. Further, waitlist time was reduced and transplantation expedited for the appropriate individuals. This approach could easily be adapted by other transplant centers with minimum utilization of resources.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number174
JournalBMC Nephrology
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 16 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Barriers
  • Kidney transplant
  • Status 7
  • Waitlist

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nephrology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of systematic review of status 7 patients on the kidney transplant waitlist'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this