Facts about Organ and Tissue Donation

• It is possible for a single donor to donate organs and
  tissues that may help as many as 60 recipients.
• No age restrictions apply to the donation of primary organs.
• An estimated 15,000 brain deaths occur each year, but only 30% become donors.
• It is possible to transplant 25 different organs and tissues from one donor.
• Every 16 minutes, someone is added to the National waiting list.  More than 80,000 people are waiting for transplants
• More than 2,200 on the National waiting list are children.
• By signing a Uniform Donor Card, an individual indicates his or her wishes to be a donor.  A family must still sign a donation consent form, therefore it is important to discuss and make your wishes known so your wishes may be honored.
• More than 136,000 kidney transplants have been performed in the United States since 1980.  30% from living relatives and 70% were from deceased non-related donors.
• 44.000 Corneal transplants were performed in the United States last year.
• Transplanted skin is used an estimated 100,000 times a year as replacement tissue for severe burns.  Another 500,000 patients could have their wound-healing time shortened if enough skin were available.
• 700,000 bone grafts were done in 1996.
• Approximately 14 million blood donations occur every year in the United States and about 12 million units of whole blood are transfused annually.
• Studies have found that donating organs or tissues of a loved one who has died helps a bereaved family to recover from their loss.
• All major religious groups approve of organ and tissue donation as a charitable act toward one’s fellow human beings.

National Patient Waiting List as of 2-2-2006

64,982 Awaiting Kidney Transplants


17,199 Awaiting Liver Transplants


1,717 Awaiting Pancreas Transplants


2,490 Awaiting Kidney-Pancreas Transplants


2,997 Awaiting Heart Transplants


3,140 Awaiting Lung Transplants


642 Awaiting Other Procedures