The Good Samaritan

Abstract

The need for kidneys for patients in dialysis is constantly growing, and kidneys from deceased people are not enough to satisfy the demand. A kidney can be received from a living donor, and for this reason patients often find, among relatives and friends, people willing to donate. However, some incompatibility problems can arise. This leads to the interesting idea of exchanging donors. Several possible procedures can be used, among them the use of chains starting from a Samaritan donor, that is, someone who donates an organ to a person they do not know.