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Facts
The success rates of transplant surgery have
improved remarkably, but growing shortages exist in
the supply of organs and tissues available for
transplantation. The result: thousands of people die
while waiting for the ultimate gift…LIFE!
These numbers tell a story. The IAOD encourages
everyone to find out more information about organ
and tissue donation, and make an informed decision
about this important issue. *
Know the Facts:
- Over 96,000 U.S. patients are currently waiting
for an organ transplant; nearly 4,417 new patients
are added to the waiting list each month.
- At any given time, there is an average of 3,000
patients searching the National Marrow Donor Program
Registry.
- About 80 people receive an organ transplant every
day in the U.S., while approximately 150 are added
to the waiting list.
- Approximately 30% of all organ donors represent
minorities; however, minorities make up almost 52%
of those on the transplant waiting list.
- Every day, approximately 19 people die while
waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.
- Because of the lack of available donors in this
country, 4,066 kidney patients, 1,605 liver
patients, 358 heart patients and 250 lung patients
died in 2006 while waiting for life-saving organ
transplants.
- People who are 65 years of age or older may be
acceptable donors, particularly of corneas, skin,
bone and total body donation. In 2006, more than 851
people age 65 and older were organ donors.
- An estimated 10,000 to 14,000 people who die each
year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less
than half of those individuals become actual organ
donors.
- Vital organs may be recovered and transported
thousands of miles to a transplant center, due, in
part, to advances in preservation techniques.
- Parents, children, siblings, and other relatives
are eligible to donate organs to family members, but
very few people know that unrelated donors (for
example, spouses or close friends) may also donate
their organs if they provide a match for the
recipients.
*Information has been provided by the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network and the
United Network for Organ Sharing
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