Health Care Crisis/Statistics

Advancements in technology have resulted in successful organ transplants for individuals with life threatening diseases. Many more have their sight, hearing, and mobility restored and health regained through cornea, bone tissue, and skin transplants.

The national list of patients waiting for vital organs increases each year. There are currently more than 1,000 patients in South Florida with life-threatening diseases awaiting transplant. Every 14 minutes the name of a patient with end stage organ failure is added to the national waiting list.*

17 patients waiting for a life saving organ die every day. Over six thousand people died last year waiting for a suitable organ for transplantation.*

NATIONAL STATISTICS
On July 18, 2003, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) national patient waiting list for organ transplant included the following:**

Type of Transplant
Patients Waiting
for Transplant
Kidney transplant
55,202
Liver transplant
17,335
Pancreas transplant
1,416
Pancreas islet cell
332
Kidney-pancreas transplant
2,382
Intestine transplant
173
Heart transplant
3,726
Heart-lung transplant
183
Lung transplant
3,912
Total
82,261

NOTE: OPTN/UNOS policies allow patients to be listed with more than one transplant center (multiple-listing), thus the number of registrations is greater than the actual number of patients. Some patients are waiting for more than one organ; therefore the total number of patients is less than the sum of patients waiting for each organ.

Number of Transplants Performed in 2002**
Type of Transplant
Number
kidney alone transplants (6,609 were living donors)
14,741
liver transplants
5,326
pancreas alone transplants
546
kidney-pancreas transplants
903
intestine transplants
107
heart transplants
2,153
heart-lung transplants
33
lung transplants
1,042
Total
24,851
Number of Donors in 2002**
Type of Donor Recovered
Number
Deceased
6,185
Living
6,607
Total
12,792

During 2002, 6,101 patients were removed from the OPTN National patient waiting list due to death.**

* Resource: United Network for Organ Sharing

** Resource: United Network for Organ Sharing

*** Based on OPTN data as of September 20, 2002. Double kidney, double lung, and heart-lung transplants are counted as one transplant.  NOTE: Data subject to change due to future data submission or correction.