Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

US surpasses 1m organ transplant milestone since first surgery in 1954

US surpasses 1m organ transplant milestone since first surgery in 1954

Medical advocates across the country are now pushing for 1m more transplants with increasing number of patients seeking procedure

Medical advocates across the United States have launched a new push for 1m more organ transplants, after the milestone figure of the 1 millionth transplant in the US was met at the end of last week.

Since the first kidney transplant was performed in 1954, the US has surpassed over 1m transplants. Nevertheless, with more patients seeking the procedure than ever before, the demand for organ donors has grown significantly.

As a result, organ transplant advocates have launched a new campaign for another million transplants to be performed in the coming years.

A record-breaking 41,356 transplants were performed in 2021, the Associated Press reported. Across the country, over 400,000 people are currently living with functioning transplanted organs, United Network for Sharing Organs (UNOS) said on Friday.

However, 105,000 people are still on the national waiting list as they wait for new organs such as kidneys, livers and hearts. In addition, another 17 people die daily while waiting, according to the Associated Press. Currently, kidneys are the highest in demand across the country.

Despite the high demand, a report released earlier this year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found a “significant non-use of donated organs” along with other disparities.

Approximately one in five kidneys from deceased donors are not used. Additionally, Black Americans are three times more likely to suffer from kidney failure compared to white Americans. They are also “substantially less likely” to be placed on waiting lists or even eventually receive an organ.

Moreover, a Senate finance committee investigation discovered additional problems such as testing failures between 2008 and 2015 which led to 249 transplant recipients developing diseases from donated organs, 70 of whom died, the Associated Press reports.

In other instances, organs that were transported from one hospital to another were lost in transit or delayed so long they were no longer usable.

Congress has lambasted UNOS for its failure to enforce a centralized logistical system. “This is sitting on your hands while people die,” Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren told the organization’s chief executive. Warren and other senators have called for UNOS to be replaced.

UNOS has in the recent years been making attempts to alleviate logistical obstacles. It ordered a change in the ways organs are distributed, allowing kidneys to be transported to sicker patients who are further away instead of being given first to hospitals that are closer to where they are donated. In turn, kidney transplants increased 16% last year – and by 23% among Black patients.

Additionally, UNOS has asked hospitals to stop using a certain formula to test kidney function that can underestimate Black patients’ need for a transplant and leave them waiting longer than similarly ill white patients, the Associated Press reports.

In attempts to achieve the next million transplants, UNOS has laid out four objectives as part of its Living It Forward campaign.

Those include increasing equity to ensure transplants are fair and more accessible to all, getting more organs transplanted by expanding the donor pool, harnessing new technologies including enhanced transportation logistics and newer data tools, and further empowering patients through trust and transparency.

“The organ donation and transplant community has made lifesaving history together,” said Jerry McCauley, president of the UNOS Board of Directors. “Now, we invite donor families, organ transplant candidates and recipients, living organ donors and others touched by transplant to join Living It Forward and honor and celebrate the gifts that made this important milestone possible.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×