A third of patients 65 and older endure long waits for kidney transplants because they are not being considered for riskier organs that could save their lives, new research from Johns Hopkins concludes. 

I wrote about the use of such kidneys, known as expanded criteria donors, or ECD, in a story in The Sun today.

ECD kidneys are typically from deceased older donors. They have riskier outcomes and last just half as long as younger kidneys. While such organs aren't suitable for younger patients, for older patients, for whom time is critical, they can be a good alternative, researchers say.

Patients waiting for kidneys often endure a punishing schedule of dialysis. The likelihood that people 65 and older will survive five years on the blood-filtering treatment is just 27 percent, said Dr. Dorry Segev, associate professor of surgery and epidemiology at the Hopkins School of Medicine and the lead author of the study.

But some transplant centers are skeptical of using such kidneys. Centers are rated by the federal government on their transplant outcomes. Using riskier kidneys can mean poor outcomes and poor ratings.

Still, with kidney transplant lists growing long and donor figures staying flat, using riskier kidneys can be a life saver, according to researchers. 

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