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Purpose: AI models for kidney transplant acceptance must be rigorously evaluated for bias to ensure equitable healthcare access. This study investigates demographic and clinical biases in the Final Acceptance Model (FAM), a donor-recipient matching deep learning model that complements surgeons’ decision-making process in predicting whether to accept available kidneys for their patients with end of stage renal disorder. Methods: AI models for kidney transplant acceptance must be rigorously evaluated for bias to ensure equitable healthcare access. This study investigates demographic and clinical biases in the Final Acceptance Model (FAM), a donor-recipient matching deep learning model that complements surgeons’ decision-making process in predicting whether to accept available kidneys for their patients with end of stage renal disorder. Results: There is no significant racial bias in the model’s predictions (p=1.0), indicating consistent outcome across all racial combinations between donors and recipients. Gender-related effects as shown in Figure 1, while statistically significant (p=0.008), showed minimal practical impact with mean differences below 1% in prediction probabilities. Significant difference Clinical factors involving diabetes and hypertension showed significant difference (p=4.21e-19). The combined presence of diabetes and hypertension in donors showed the largest effect on predictions (mean difference up to -0.0173, p<0.05), followed by diabetes-only conditions in donors (mean difference up to -0.0166, p<0.05). These variations in clinical factor predictions showed bias against groups with comorbidities. Conclusions: The biases observed in the model highlight the need to improve the algorithm to ensure absolute fairness in prediction.
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This content will become publicly available on August 1, 2026
Integrating Surgeon Expertise and AI: The Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory Model for Enhanced Kidney Transplant Decision-Making
(TSFAM) model, an adaptive human-AI teaming framework designed to enhance hard-to-place kidney acceptance decision-making by integrating transplant surgeons’ individualized expertise with advanced AI analytics (Figure 1). Methods: TSFAM is an innovative solution for complex issues in kidney transplant decision-making support. It employs fuzzy associative memory to capture and codify unique decision-making rules of transplant surgeons. Using the Deceased Donor Organ Assessment (DDOA) and Final Acceptance AI models designed to evaluate hard-to-place kidneys, TSFAM integrates fuzzy logic with deep learning techniques to manage inherent uncertainties in donor organ assessments. Surgeon-specifi c ontologies and membership functions are extracted through interviews. Similar to how a pain scale is used for understanding patients, an ontology ambiguity scale is used to develop surgeon rules (Figure 2). Fuzzy logic captures ambiguity and enables the model to adapt to evolving clinical, environmental, and policy conditions. The structured incorporation of human expertise ensures decision support remains closely aligned with local clinical practices and global best evidence. Results: This novel framework incorporates human expertise into AI decisionmaking tools to support donor organ acceptance in transplantation. Integrating surgeon-defi ned criteria into a robust decision-support tool enhances accuracy and transparency of organ allocation decision-making support. TSFAM bridges the gap between data-driven models and nuanced judgment required in complex clinical scenarios, fostering trust and promoting responsible AI adoption. Conclusions: TSFAM fuses deep learning analytics with subtleties of human expertise for a promising pathway to improve decision-making support in transplant surgery. The framework enhances clinical assessment and sets a precedent for future systems prioritizing human-AI collaboration. Prospective studies will focus on clinical implementation with dynamic interfaces for a more patient-centered, evidencebased model in organ transplantation. The intent is for this approach to be adaptable to individual case scenarios and the diverse needs of key transplant team members
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- Award ID(s):
- 2222801
- PAR ID:
- 10629400
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- American Journal of Transplantation
- Volume:
- 25
- Issue:
- S1
- ISSN:
- 1600-6135
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- S362
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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