Estimating the Number of Potential Organ Donors in the United States

Waiting lists for organ transplantation are growing. This study examined numbers of potential organ donors and actual organ donations from 1997 through 1999 in areas of the United States that are served by 36 organ-procurement organizations. Hospitals with 150 or more beds had significantly higher proportions of potential donors and actual donors than smaller hospitals; 19 percent of hospitals accounted for 80 percent of all potential donors. A few hospitals account for most potential donors. The demand for transplantable organs continues to increase, while the organizations involved in the procurement of organs struggle with a stagnant or possibly diminishing pool of potential organ donors. 1 As of July 7, 2003, a total of 82,117 patients were waiting for a solid-organ transplant. 2 The shortage of organs raises questions about the size of the national donor pool. Have organ-procurement organizations reached the limit of the number of organs that can be recovered? How many brain-dead potential donors are there each year? Do geographic regions vary in organ-donation potential? Is the rate of conversion of potential organ donors to . . .