Kidney paired donation and the unique challenges of kidney shipment in Canada.

SUMMARY: Kidney paired donation (KPD) programs are an effort to bridge the disparity between kidney supply and demand. These programs combine several incompatible donor-recipient pairs in a national paired exchange database, thereby increasing the number of compatible matches. But KPD programs face unique challenges, particularly the large distances that often separate donors and recipients. Here we discuss key factors to consider when transitioning from a donor travelling model to a kidney shipment model in the Canadian context.