Although organ transplants are common in the U.S., thousands of Americans die every year before donors can be found.

A Critical Shortage

There are over 20,000 organ transplant operations every year in the United States, including liver, kidney, heart and lung transplants.  But despite today’s high survival rates among organ recipients – 95 percent for kidney recipients, 87 percent for liver recipients and 86 percent for heart recipients – the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports that over 87,000 Americans awaited transplants in 2004, and wait for transplants an average of three years.  Every day, 17 patients on a waiting list die, while a new name is added to the list every 13 minutes.  

The New York Organ Donor Network notes that the difference between supply and demand for donor organs continues to grow every year.  Statistics show that one donor can save 8 lives by contributing organs and improve the lives of 50 people by donating certain tissues.  Over 22,000 transplants were made with the organs of almost 12,000 living and dead donors – saving less than 30% of patients waiting for transplants.  Of the 2.4 million Americans who die every year, only 10,000 to 14,000 meet the strict requirements to donate their organs.

The shortage in donor organs forces many Americans to look for alternative solutions.  Their sale is strictly forbidden in the U.S.  However, Organs Watch reports that thousands of patients from the U.S., Europe, Japan and Israel travel abroad every year to buy them.  Main donor nations include India, Pakistan, Turkey, Peru, Mexico, Moldavia and Romania.

The Regulatory Environment

U.S. legislation stipulates that organs may be used only upon receiving consent from the individual or his or her next-of-kin.  In most states, when receiving a driver’s license, an individual can register as an organ donor.  Americans can also register as donors through local and national organizations.

Distribution of organs to candidates is made regardless of wealth or fame.  The main factors in the decision include gravity of ailment, the waiting period, blood type, tissue type and organ size.  One other major factor is the proximity of the donor to patient: organs must be transported within a maximum of 48 hours, depending on the organ. 

The United States is divided into 11 administrative regions. Once an organ becomes available, it is made available to patients in the corresponding region.  If a match cannot be found in that region, it is transported to the closest ideal recipient.  There are 30 donors per million residents in the central and western United States, while 21 donors per million in other regions.

Some patients travel from coast to coast, registering themselves as eligible organ recipients in all administrative regions; and while “multiple listing” is legal, many physicians consider it unethical. 

There are no provisions for patients without medical insurance (some 43 million Americans).  And with transplant operations costing as much as $150,000, this means that many U.S. residents, in the event they needed an organ transplant, have effectively no way of getting on the waiting list.