Transplant Statistics: Annual Report

Data Highlights
Cadaveric Organ Recovery And Disposition

Cadaveric donors often provide more than one organ. In 2000, an average of 3.6 organs per donor were recovered, of which an average of 2.9 were transplanted. (Table 1.1, 1.2, and 1.8). Figure 4 shows the number of cadaveric donors and transplants over the last 10 years. The percentage of recovered cadaveric kidneys that were transplanted has fallen from 92% in 1991 to 85% in 2000 (Table 4.1). The percentage of recovered pancreata that were transplanted has seen a dramatic increase from 50% to 80% over the same period (Table 4.4). The percentage of recovered livers that were transplanted has stayed nearly constant at just over 90% (Table 4.7).

In 2000, a total of 21,578 organs were recovered from cadaveric donors. This was a 2% increase from the 21,157 organs recovered in 1999 (Table 1.2). Over the last 10 years, the number of organs recovered has increased by 38%. In 2000, 51% of all organs recovered were kidneys, 24% were liver`s, 11% were hearts, 8% were pancreata, 7% were lungs, and 0.4% were intestines (Table 1.2). Of all organs recovered in 2000, 88% were transplanted locally or were shared, i.e., transplanted outside of the recovering OPO service area (Tables 4.1-4.18). Figure 5 shows the percentage of organs transplanted, used for research, or not used in 2000 for each organ type.

Figure 6 shows the reasons for nonuse of recovered organs by organ type. Most of these unused organs had damage or poor function. Figure 7 shows the percentages of consented donor organs that were not recovered. This occurred most likely because of donor unsuitability, organ damage, or because no recipient could be identified.

Kidney Recovery and Disposition

Of the 10,904 kidneys recovered for transplantation in 2000, 85% were transplanted (60% were transplanted locally and 26% were shared), 2% were used for research, and 13% were not used. Many of the kidneys recovered but not transplanted in 2000 were not used primarily because of biopsy findings (37%), organ damage (14%), or poor organ function (14%). Additionally, of all kidneys consented for donation, 7% were not recovered. Poor organ function accounted for 49% of those not recovered (Tables 4.1-4.3).

Pancreas Recovery and Disposition

In 2000, 80% of the 1,703 pancreata recovered were used for organ transplantation. This is a higher percentage than in 1991 (50%) and similar to that in 1995 (79%). Local transplants accounted for 58%, and shared transplants accounted for 22% of pancreata dispositions in 2000. The percentage of pancreata recovered but not used has increased over time, from 4% in 1991 and 7% in 1995 to 15% in 2000. Organ damage and poor organ function together accounted for 34% of pancreata recovered but not transplanted in 2000. Of the pancreata consented for donation, 63% were not recovered (Tables 4.4-4.6).

Liver Recovery and Disposition

In 2000, 63% of the 5,077 livers recovered for transplantation were transplanted locally while 27% were shared transplants. Of those recovered but not transplanted in 2000, 47% were not used due to biopsy findings. Of the organs consented for donation, 13% were not recovered. Of those not recovered, poor organ function and organ damage accounted for 40% and 17%, respectively (Tables 4.7-4.9).

Intestine Recovery and Disposition

The number of intestines recovered peaked at 121 in 1995, dropped to 48 in 1996, and increased each subsequent year until 1999 when 97 were recovered. Eighty-six intestines were recovered for transplantation in 2000, which represents a decrease of 11% from the previous year. Of these, 22% were used for local transplants and 70% were used for shared transplants (up from 51% in 1999). Only 8% of intestines recovered were not used and no recovered intestines were used in research (down from 19% for research in 1999). Only 2% of all consented intestines were recovered. The main reason for not recovering consented intestines was that no suitable recipient could be located (Tables 4.10-4.12).

Heart Recovery and Disposition

The 2,286 hearts recovered from cadaveric donors in 2000 was down slightly from the 2,311 hearts recovered in 1999. In general, the number of hearts recovered for transplant has declined since a peak in 1994, when 2,526 hearts were recovered. In 2000, local transplants accounted for 67% of the total hearts recovered while 31% were shared transplants. Nearly all of the recovered hearts were used for transplantation. Only 18 of the 2,286 hearts recovered (0.8%) were not transplanted in 2000. Additionally, of all hearts consented for donation, 47% were not recovered. Poor organ function was the reported reason for 60% of the hearts consented for donation but not recovered (Tables 4.13-4.15).

Lung Recovery and Disposition

In 2000, 1,522 lungs were recovered for transplantation, up from 1,445 recovered in 1999. Local transplants accounted for 62% of all lungs recovered in 2000, while shared transplants accounted for 34%. Only 3% of all lungs recovered in 2000 were either used for research or not used. Of the lungs recovered for transplant but not used, 40% were due either to organ damage or poor organ function (although 26% were due to an unknown cause). Only 16% of all lungs consented for donation were recovered. Poor organ function accounted for 73% of the organs consented but not recovered (Tables 4.16-4.18).