The third pillar of the 50K goal is to maximize organ utilization by transplant programs.
More and more lives are saved each year through the gift of life. However, more than 100,000 patients are still desperately waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. The donation and transplantation community has more work to do to improve the utilization of available organs for transplantation.
total organs recovered and NOT transplanted in 2022
%
of all organs recovered were NOT utilized in 2022
%
increase in non-utilization of all organs in 2022 over 2021
kidneys recovered and NOT transplanted in 2022
%
of kidneys recovered were NOT utilized in 2022
%
increase in non-utilization of kidneys in 2022 over 2021
Organs recovered by OPOs and NOT utilized for transplant has doubled in the last 5 years.
According to research highlighted in the NASEM report, 62% of kidneys recovered and not utilized in the U.S. would have been transplanted in France. AOPO continues efforts to increase utilization of more medically complex organs with a higher Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI).
CMS and HRSA established the End State Renal Disease Treatment Choices Learning Collaborative (ETCLC) to bring transplant centers, OPOs, donor hospitals, patients, and families together to improve the quality and outcomes of kidney donation and transplantation. AOPO serves on the Leadership Coordinating Council as a national stakeholder. Over the next 3 years, the Collaborative aims to increase the number of deceased donor kidneys transplanted, decrease the current national discard rate, and increase the utilization of high KDPI kidneys.