Here’s some encouraging news: For the first time, more than 30,000 organ transplants were performed in the United States in 2015, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.) That’s a 4.9 percent increase over 2014, and continues a three-year trend of annual record numbers.
Approximately 81 percent of the transplants (24,982) involved organs from deceased donors, who can donate multiple organs. Nineteen percent (5,986) were made possible by living donors.
Because organ donations are so greatly needed, and because they save lives, the increased numbers are a real cause for appreciation, and hope.
“This landmark achievement is a testament to the generosity of the American public to help others through donation, and their trust in the transplant system to honor their life-saving gift,” said Betsy Walsh, J.D., president of OPTN and United Network for Organ Sharing.
Despite this good news, the need, which continues to grow, still far exceeds the supply. Here are some facts:
In the U.S., 121,756 people need a lifesaving organ transplant (total waiting list candidates). Of those, 78,252 people are active waiting list candidates.
Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list.
On average, 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.
One organ donor can save eight lives.
Education and outreach remain the key to increasing the number of organ donations. Surveys have shown that most Americans support organ donation, but only about 40 percent of the adult population register as organ donors. Social networks like Facebook, and most recently, Tinder, allow users to identify themselves as organ donors, so family and friends are aware of one’s wishes, in addition to the needed donor card.
To encourage live donations, California has created a live donor registry for kidneys, and locally, Swedish Medical Center’s Organ Transplant and Liver Center includes a Benevolent Community Donor Program, which allows people to anonymously give a kidney to a patient who is on the Swedish waiting list.
The logistics around the extraction, transportation and transplanting of an organ has greatly improved — to the extent that virtually no organs are refused or thrown away due to logistical reasons, Time reported.
Sign up to be an organ donor. Make sure your family and friends are aware of your wishes. And encourage them to sign up as well.
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