Cost Effectiveness of Open Versus Laparoscopic Living-Donor Nephrectomy - Hamidi, Vida; Andersen, Marit Helen; Øyen, Ole; Mathisen, Lars; Fosse, Erik; Kristiansen, Ivar Sønbø

Link to abstract.  Transplantation - 87:6:831-838 - March 27, 2009  
The LLDN is an attractive alternative because it, in general, entails less postoperative pain than open surgery, but it is cost effective only with relatively low rates of complications.

Presumed consent: yes we should - Chloë Harman

Link to full text editorial.  Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology - 5:4: - April 2009  
Presumed consent is in no way a cure-all for the mismatch between the supply and demand for donor kidneys; however, introducing such a system in the US, the UK and other countries where it is feasible would reduce the numbers of people who die from kidney failure while others are buried or cremated with healthy kidneys that they would have happily donated. Two kidneys may not be "excessive" during life, but they surely are after death.

Being Sherlock Holmes: the Internet as a tool for assessing live organ donors - Katrina A. Bramstedt, Steven Katznelson

Link to abstract.  Clinical Transplantation - 23:2:157-161 - March/April 2009  
In this paper, we describe how DATs can use various forms of free, public content available on the Internet to aid live donor assessments. In this way, the DAT assumes somewhat of an investigative role; however, this is ethically justified in light of the DAT duty to protect the donor. The protective effect can also spread to the transplant program, in general, when inappropriate donors are excluded from the donation process.

Pregnancy Outcomes After Kidney Donation - H. N. Ibrahim, S. K. Akkina, E. Leister, K. Gillingham, G. Cordner, H. Guo, R. Bailey, T. Rogers, A. J. Matas

Link to abstract.  American Journal of Transplantation - 9:4:825-834 - April 2009  
In this large survey of previous living donors in a single center, fetal and maternal outcomes and pregnancy outcomes after kidney donation were similar to those reported in the general population, but inferior to predonation pregnancy outcomes.

Pregnancy and Birth After Kidney Donation: The Norwegian Experience - A. V. Reisæter, J. Røislien, T. Henriksen, L. M. Irgens, A. Hartmann

Link to abstract.  American Journal of Transplantation - 9:4:820-824 - April 2009  
No differences were observed in the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcome in kidney donors and in the general population in unadjusted analysis. Our finding of more frequent preeclampsia in pregnancies after kidney donation in the secondary analysis must be interpreted with caution, as the number of events was low.

Primum Non Nocere: Is Chronic Kidney Disease Staging Appropriate in Living Kidney Transplant Donors? - Y. Barri, T. Parker III, B Kaplan, R. Glassock

Link to abstract.  American Journal of Transplantation - 9:4:657-660 - April 2009  
Although complete long-term studies are lacking, it appears that the 'labeling' of such donors as having CKD postdonation is common but not associated with a major effect on morbidity or mortality.