The purpose of Policy 2.9 (Required Deceased Donor Infectious Disease Testing) is to determine whether deceased organ donors have evidence of infection with a number of potentially transmissible pathogens. For some of these specific pathogens, organ transplant candidates may choose not to receive offers from positive donors. In this case, these candidates do not appear on a match run. Current policy does not require the host OPO to re-execute the match run if new results become available after execution of the initial match run. This updated donor information could screen certain candidates from receiving organ offers. Review of OPTN data indicates that a large number of organ allocations take place using match runs executed prior to receipt of all test results. This presents a potential patient safety concern, as organs could unintentionally be allocated to a candidate who is not willing to accept offers from organs who are positive for a specific infectious disease. This could result in unintended donor-derived disease transmission. Better defining in policy the processes that should be followed when new results are learned after the initial match run will reduce the opportunity for error and enhance patient safety.

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