After Surgery Jun 1, 2008
From Jan. 1, 1988, to Feb. 29, 2008, there have been 426,338 organ transplants performed in the U.S., said Mandy Claggett, spokeswoman for the United Network for Organ Sharing. Of those transplants, 380,575 were primary and 45,763, or 12 percent, were repeated. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
Recipients are thankful of ‘unselfish gift' May 29, 2008
With 100,000 people registered on the national United Network for Organ Sharing waiting list and over 740 of those being people in KODA's service area, the need for donors is emergent. If anyone understands the imminent need for an organ transplant, it's Nathan and Tricia Lawrenson of Nags Head, N.C. In almost daily posts on his internationally known blog, , Nathan has documented every step of their transplant journey. (Murray Ledger & Times, KY)
Newsweek: Are kidneys a commodity? May 21, 2008
As of last Wednesday at 5:44 p.m., according to the minute-by-minute count on the Web site of the United Network for Organ Sharing, there were 75,629 people awaiting kidney transplants in the United States. Here's roughly what we can expect to happen over the next 12 months, based on the experience of recent years. (MSNBC -- Health)
UPMC grip on transplant dominance slips May 20, 2008
In fact, total organ transplants nationwide declined in 2007 for the first time since 1988, according to UNOS. But the nationwide decline was 2 percent -- 28,356 transplants in 2007 compared with 28,935 in 2006 -- compared with 17 percent at UPMC.. The decline at UPMC is happening as the institution searches for a permanent transplant chief. (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)
San Antonio Facility Performs Transplant First; Couples from Killeen and Ingleside Exchange Kidney Donors May 15, 2008
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), 75,878 people throughout the country currently are on the waiting list for a kidney. In Texas, 6,225 people are awaiting kidneys and 2,722 of them are in San Antonio and South Texas. (KWTX.com, TX)
1 dies, 1 ill after receiving kidneys May 13, 2008
"We feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the patient and their family and feel terrible that this patient has had this infection and a bad outcome."But, on the other hand, we see patients who die every day on dialysis" awaiting a kidney transplant, he said. The 57-year-old man transplanted at Hanto's hospital had lingered four years on the waiting list for a kidney. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, an independent agency that sets organ procurement policies, 80,130... (Boston Globe)
Transplant agency reviews liver surgeries after report May 12, 2008
As part of its review, the UNOS Liver tinal Organ Committee is looking at cases in which patients who are not critically ill undergo transplant surgery. It will determine whether rule changes are needed and report back to the organization s main board, which is composed of surgeons, administrators and public representatives. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Pot eased suffering, may have cost his life May 5, 2008
The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates. At some, people who use "illicit substances" -- including medical marijuana, even in states that allow it -- are automatically rejected. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Medical marijuana user who was denied liver transplant dies May 2, 2008
The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates. At some, people who use "illicit substances" including medical marijuana, even in the dozen states that allow it are automatically rejected. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Star resident takes part in historic donor event May 2, 2008
If you are interested in learning more about altruistic organ donation, visit or (The United Network for Organ Sharing). Copyright. (Troy Montgomery Herald, NC)
Organ transplants for immigrants stir debate in Calif. Apr 20, 2008
The average cost of a liver transplant and first-year follow-up is nearly $490,000, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Donor livers are in scarce supply. (Boston Globe)
MCG's 1st heart transplant saves man Apr 18, 2008
The transplant culminated a five-year effort by the health system and transplant surgeon Kevin Landolfo to bring the service to Augusta, which would make it the only program in the area outside of Atlanta or Charleston, S.C. There are 76 patients waiting for a heart transplant in Georgia and 11 waiting in South Carolina, with most waiting more than a year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Nationally, there were 2,210 heart transplants performed last year, but 317 patients died... (The Augusta Chronicle)
Six-way Kidney Transplant Apr 10, 2008
This allowed all five original candidates to receive compatible kidneys from someone they had never met, while the remaining kidney went to the next patient on the United Network for Organ Sharing s (UNOS) recipient list. The Johns Hopkins transplant team pioneered the exchange of kidneys among incompatible donor-recipient pairs -- a procedure called kidney paired donation (KPD). (Science Daily)
6 kidney transplants at once believed a first Apr 10, 2008
That enabled a chain of donations involving the six donors and six recipients from a waiting list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing ... The United Network for Organ Sharing knows of no other six-way transplant, spokeswoman Amanda Claggett said. (CNN -- Health)
Surgeons transplant 6 kidneys at once Apr 9, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing knows of no other six-way transplant, spokeswoman Amanda Claggett said. She added that so-called paired donations are still very rare. (MSNBC -- Health)
4 get cancer from teen's donated organs Apr 9, 2008
Experts say the possibility of getting cancer from an organ donor is extremely rare: Only 64 cases have been identified in a national study of 230,000 cases, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. "A 15-year-old boy's organs are a gift from the Almighty," said transplant surgeon Lewis Teperman, noting the majority of organ donors are much older than Alex. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Missouri Man Chronicles Kidney Donation on YouTube Apr 4, 2008
Nationwide, about 16,600 were performed last year, said Barnes-Jewish spokeswoman Kathy Holleman, citing United Network for Organ Sharing Statistics. Having a best friend who works as a kidney donor match isn't common, but also not unheard of. (Fox News)
LifeSharers approach to organ donation Apr 4, 2008
Currently, 68 LifeSharer members are on the United Network for Organ Sharing s transplant waiting list. Of these, 65 LifeSharers members have qualified for preferred access to the organs of fellow members. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Op-Ed: Transplant need is real, not inflated Apr 3, 2008
UNOS: Recent suggestion that waiting list is manipulated is misguided ... As one of its responsibilities under its contract with the Health Resources and Services Administration, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) operates the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) waiting list ... UNOS reports the total number of patients on the list because every one of them needs a transplant or their doctors would not have listed them. (MSNBC -- Health)
Editor's Mailbag (March 31) Apr 1, 2008
I was in Albany visiting my family for Easter Sunday and was dismayed to read the article that your paper picked up from the Washington Post about inflated numbers on the U.S. Transplant Waiting List that is administered by UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing. It was the opinion of the article s author, Rob Stein, that because the number of folks reported as waiting for a transplant also include those who are currently listed as inactive, it is therefore misleading and used as a marketing... (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Transplant list raises doubts Mar 25, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the Richmond, Va. -based organization that holds the federal contract for distributing organs to those awaiting transplants in the U.S. UNOS says there are about 98,000 people who need transplants. (MSNBC -- Health)
Trouble with Transplants: Are Some on List Ineligible? Mar 24, 2008
United Network for Organ Sharing oversees the transplant system under a federal contract. "It's unfair. It's simply unacceptable," said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. (ABC News)
A third on transplant list not eligible Mar 22, 2008
Officials at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the transplant system under a federal contract and provided a breakdown of its waiting list at the request of , defend the practice. Many patients are inactive for only short periods because of temporary complications or other issues that are often resolved, they say. (MSNBC -- Race)
Bill would expand organ donation Mar 9, 2008
Many states have adopted similar changes, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the country s organ donation system. Despite Wisconsin s stellar rate of pledged organ donors, more than 110 patients on the transplant waiting in the state died last year, D Alessandro said. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Kidney donor shrugs off danger to save life Mar 4, 2008
The Shermans looked at the United Network for Organ Sharing, the national database of clinical transplant information that operates a computerized organ sharing system, matching donated organs and recipients. More than 98,000 people are on UNOS, and the wait can be several years long.. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Hospitals less finicky about kidneys Mar 2, 2008
More than 30,000 - Americans who join the wait for a kidney each year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing ... The use of expanded criteria donor kidneys has increased about 30 percent since 2002, when the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) set criteria for their use. (News & Observer)
Surgeon accused in death of patient to get organs Feb 27, 2008
There were 670 cardiac-death donations through the first nine months of 2007, the most in any year this decade, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees organ allocation. Over the same period, there were 12,553 brain-dead donations, according to the network. (International Herald Tribune)
Blacks Awaiting Lung Transplants Face Poorer Outcomes Feb 19, 2008
The researchers assessed the 280 non-Hispanic black adults and 5,272 non-Hispanic white adults diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema who were on the United Network for Organ Sharing lung transplantation list between 1995 and 2004. The investigators tracked the outcomes (death, transplantation, removal from the list or still living) of those on the list and analyzed the results with respect to age, sex, disease severity, community poverty level and transplant... (MEDLINEplus)
Race Matters For Patients Awaiting Lung Transplants Feb 16, 2008
" Blacks were also less likely to have private insurance and more likely to live in poorer neighborhoods. Greater cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, pulmonary hypertension and lower six-minute walk distances were observed in blacks compared to whites. However, even these factors did not account for the differences between the two groups regarding lung transplantation. "Differences in insurance, socioeconomic status and cardiovascular risk factors explained some but not all of the... (Medical News Today)
Saturn Celebrates 11 Years of Helping Save Lives Through Blood, Marrow, Organ and Tissue Donation Feb 10, 2008
Saturn National Donor Day partners include: AABB, American Liver Foundation, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, America's Blood Centers/Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals, Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, Children's Organ Transplant Association, Donate Life America, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, The Marrow Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, National Marrow Donor Program, National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, United Network for... (PR Newswire)
Mayo Clinic Proceedings contributors discuss impact of donor organ allocation system Feb 7, 2008
In the United States, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) oversees the allocation of donor organs. With the goal of giving available donor organs to the most critically-ill transplant candidates, UNOS adopted a scoring system called the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) in February 2002. (EurekAlert!)
Restraining Order Tells Britney Horror Story Feb 6, 2008
Os imaginis a Britney tomando correcta y fielmente las dosis de su medicacin para el trastorno bipolar hace unos das, cuando estaba fuera del psiquitrico. Todos sabis que no lo hara, y probablemente por eso lo supervisaba Sam. (Yahoo News -- Britney Spears)
More elderly having transplant surgery Feb 5, 2008
"Twenty years ago, if you had asked me to transplant a 70- or 75-year-old with a kidney, I would have said no. Now we transplant people into their early 80s," says Michael Shapiro, a transplant surgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center and vice chairman of the ethics committee for the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the national system that matches organs. "If you look at what has happened in all organs over the past 25 years, we have broadened our horizons," Shapiro says. (USA Today -- News)
Obese Patients Wait Longer for Kidney Transplants Feb 5, 2008
In the U.S., the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) oversees the allocation of donor organs. Segev and his colleagues based their findings on UNOS data for 132,353 patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant between 1995 and 2006. (MEDLINEplus)
Surgeons: Raise heart transplant standards Feb 3, 2008
More than 2,000 people undergo heart transplants each year in the United States, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Nearly 3,000 remain on waiting lists, and up to 20 percent of those will die while waiting. (Baltimore Examiner)
The global kidney bazaar Feb 3, 2008
Now, the United Network for Organ Sharing says there are 74,476 patients on the kidney transplant list. For these patients, the agonising wait can last five years or more as the number of deceased-donor kidneys is negligible. (India Times, India)
Heart Transplants: Do More Or Do None, New Study Suggests Feb 2, 2008
This study's data were supplied by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a national network that allocates donated organs across the country. Funding for the study was supplied in part by The Johns Hopkins Hospital. (Science Daily)
Breakthroughs in artificial lungs could assist in transplants Jan 31, 2008
Source: United Network for Organ Sharing. Breakthroughs in artificial lungs could assist in transplants. (USA Today -- News)
Hope amid waiting for double lung transplant Jan 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008. (Created: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 12:40 PM MST). (Havre Daily News, MT)
Death to life Jan 22, 2008
Source: United Network for Organ Sharing. Father of organ donor unearths stories of new life. (USA Today)
18 comments Jan 18, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the national organ allocation system, has the power to make this simple policy change. No legislative approval is required. (Human Events Online)
Extreme obesity affects chances of kidney transplantation Jan 11, 2008
Led by Dr. Dorry L. Segev of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the researchers used data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to examine how obesity affects waiting times for kidney transplantation ... As a study of the United Network for Organ Sharing database, this work was supported in part by Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration contract 234-2005-370011C.. (EurekAlert!)
Rural Residents Get Fewer Organ Transplants: Study Jan 9, 2008
Another issue is the number of transplant centers in the United States, said Fan, who also is chairman of the United Network for Organ Sharing minority affairs committee. "It's important to have an adequate distribution of transplant centers around the country," he said. (Health-Finder)
Does Cigna Deserve All The Blame? Jan 9, 2008
A national organization called the United Network for Organ Sharing manages the waiting lists. One of UNOS' principles is that patients should get transplants regardless of their financial means. (Forbes -- Business)
Hospitalizations soar for deadly lung disease Jan 2, 2008
That makes the disease the most common reason for lung transplantation after scarring from pulmonary fibrosis, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing. The study, led by Chaya Merrill, found that hospital admissions for pulmonary hypertension increased more than 50% from 1997 to 2005, from 301,400 to 456,500. (USA Today)
Very obese wait longer for transplant Dec 24, 2007
Also clouding the issue is the fact the database maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing does not capture all details on patient condition, said Dr. Kenneth Andreoni of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, vice chairman of the UNOS kidney transplantation committee. For example, whether a candidate has diabetes is simply a yes or no checkoff. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Obese Patients Wait Longer For Kidney Transplants, Research Suggests Dec 20, 2007
The researchers analyzed data from 132,353 men and women with kidney disease who were on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) deceased donor kidney transplantation list from 1995 to 2006 in the United States. Patients' weight was rated using the body mass index (BMI) scale - weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (Science Daily)
Science: Transplant offers hope without lifetime of drugs Dec 3, 2007
Because the operation is so rare, organizations like the United Network for Organ Sharing and the American Liver Foundation do not track the number of partial transplants performed or have specific guidelines for it. Kato has created his own rough guidelines. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Lungs' Pressure Needn't Threaten Heart Transplant Survival Nov 28, 2007
Results come from a review of patient records provided by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), on 10,331 men and women who received a heart transplant between 2000 and 2006. UNOS is a national network that allocates donated organs across the United States, including more than 150 medical centers that perform heart transplants. (Science Daily)
Alcohol may amplify chronic rejection in lung transplants Nov 28, 2007
About a sixth of deceased organ donors have a history of heavy alcohol consumption, defined as two or more drinks per day, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Thats more than triple the rate in the general population. (EurekAlert!)
He stole her heart, and now she's giving him a kidney Nov 26, 2007
The United Network for Organ Sharing updates each day the waiting list of transplant candidates. As of last week, it counted 97,682 people nationwide hoping for organs, mostly kidneys, which were the request of 74,072 patients. (North County Times)
Oceanside woman giving thanks for health, despite kidney disease Nov 22, 2007
Hunter is among nearly 16,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list in California, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, and has been on the UCLA transplant list for four years. While Hunter's disease is not fatal as long as she continues dialysis, complications from the illness can be deadly, said Sharon Rolfing, a dialysis nurse who has worked with Hunter for the last year at Renal Advantage Inc. of Oceanside. (North County Times)
New Organ Allocation Criteria Associated With Decreased Deaths On Liver Transplant Waiting List Nov 20, 2007
Information about 60,392 individuals age 18 or older on the waiting list at any point during this period was obtained from the United Network for Organ Sharing data file. The change in policy was associated with an immediate increase in number of deaths among individuals on the waiting list, from about 11 deaths to 13 deaths per 1,000 registrants per month. (Science Daily)
Patient with cystic fibrosis receives lung transplant Nov 19, 2007
Cystic fibrosis patients who are otherwise healthy are placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing transplant list. The surgery has many risk factors and takes about six hours, Hodges said. (AZCentral -- News)
Network Asks People To Take A Leap Of Faith Nov 16, 2007
"Sadly, the organ donor shortage means that each day, as many as 17 lives are lost and a new name is added every 13 minutes. The harsh fact is that more than 40% of potential donors and their families in the greater New York metropolitan area ultimately do not choose to give the gifts of life." There are 6,963 people awaiting a life-saving organ transplant in the NYODN service area, which includes New York City, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester counties and all of Long Island, according... (Suffolk Life Newspapers, NY)
Organ transplants pass HIV to four patients Nov 15, 2007
(Officials with the United Network for Organ Sharing had said Monday that the last case was in 1985, but on Tuesday a spokesman for the group said the CDC date is correct. . (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
4 Organ Recipients Get HIV From Infected Donor... Nov 14, 2007
The United Network for Organ Sharing says the Centers for Disease Control also requires a medical history and lifestyle questionnaire ... "Since 1994, the CDC has required screening for all high risk donors. This is the first case of HIV since 1994," said Joel Newman of United Network for Organ Sharing ... "This is truly an unfortunate occurrence, and although extremely rare, Rush will be working with other transplant centers, the Gift of Hope, and the United Network for Organ Sharing to... (The Drudge Report)
Up for Air: Farming out our state rep Nov 9, 2007
Unos are all over the place. I have yet to hear someone say they don t like the place, and they won t hear it from me. (Marblehead Reporter, MA)
Blood-incompatible Infant Heart Transplants Safe, Study Suggests Nov 7, 2007
The analysis, based on national data reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), found that transplanting infant hearts across incompatible blood group is as safe as transplantation with compatible blood group types. "There was no difference in outcome between incompatible and compatible transplantation in these infants," said Luca A. Vricella, M.D., senior author of the study. (Science Daily)
Blood-Incompatible Heart Transplants Safe for Infants Nov 7, 2007
Of 591 cases examined from national data reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)from 1999 to 2007, 35 infants (6 percent) received hearts from blood-group incompatible donors. "There was no difference in outcome between incompatible and compatible transplantation in these infants. Survival between the two groups was similar (75 percent) at three years," senior study author Dr. Luca A. Vricella, chief of pediatric heart transplantation at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in... (MEDLINEplus)
Gratitude blooms from daughter's saving transplant Nov 2, 2007
Megan was placed on a worldwide donor waiting list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing. The challenge for Dr. Warren Maley, director of Johns Hopkins' Comprehensive Transplant Center, was not just locating a liver, but finding one that matched Megan's destroyed liver. (Howard County Times, MD)
No racial differences seen in outcomes after liver transplantation Nov 2, 2007
The observation held up in multivariable analyses and, is in direct contradiction to a report based on UNOS data, they report. The difference might be explained by the fact that the study data was from patients at select, high-volume, academic medical centers, which may be expected to provide better outcomes than the national average, the authors suggest. (EurekAlert!)
Donor Kidney Organs That Once Would Have Been Discarded Show Short-term Success Oct 5, 2007
The ECD category was created by the United Network for Organ Sharing in 2002 so that higher risk donor organs, once considered unsuitable, could be transplanted safely. The ECD category includes kidneys from deceased donors over age 60 or those over age 50 with health conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke or elevated levels of a protein called creatinine. (Science Daily)
UCLA Performs Its First 'Living Donor Kidney Swap' UCLA, Sep. 24 Sep 26, 2007
Nearly 16,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list in California, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Kidneys are the most commonly transplanted solid organs. (University of California Newswire, CA)
Transplant patients must play the waiting game Sep 4, 2007
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), other organs needed include. Heart 2,640 nationally, 76 statewide. (Crystal River Citrus County Chronicle, FL)
