Release Date: 04/26/2002

Contact: UNOS News Bureau (804) 782-4730 newsroom@unos.org Printer Friendly

The number of living organ donors in the United States surpassed the number of cadaveric donors for the first time in 2001, according to preliminary data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which operates the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

"More patients are turning to living donation because there aren't nearly enough life-saving organs for the nearly 80,000 men, women and children waiting in the U.S.," said UNOS Executive Director Walter Graham. Graham emphasized the importance of organ donation as 16 people die waiting every day in the U.S., "There is no greater charitable act than the gift of life."

Overall donation increased seven percent in 2001, and living donation increased by 12.7 percent from 5,713 in 2000 to 6,439 in 2001. This increase occurred despite continued downward pressure on cadaveric organ donation from multiple factors including infectious diseases affecting potential donors and improved motor vehicle safety. The number of cadaveric donors increased again in 2001 from 5986 to 6078 (1.5 percent increase).

Even with these increases, the rise is not as great as it was between 1999 and 2000 when overall donation increased 9.9 percent; cadaveric donation rose 2.8 percent; and living donation increased 18.5 percent, its largest one-year jump ever.

"While public education continues to be the most common strategy employed for promoting organ donation, the transplant community continues to look for additional ways to increase the supply of organs for transplantation," said UNOS President Jeremiah Turcotte, M.D. "Cadaveric livers are now often split to help two patients when possible. In addition just this year allocation policy was adjusted to allow patients an expedited means of accepting kidneys that might otherwise not be used and a pilot system for exchanging kidneys to achieve an acceptable match has been initiated."

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit charitable organization, maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list under a HRSA contract. Under that contract and on behalf of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), UNOS brings together medical professionals, transplant recipients and donor families to develop organ transplantation policy. UNOS provides the OPTN with a functional, effective management system incorporating the UNOS Board of Directors, committees and regional membership structure to operate OPTN elements and activities.