OPTN 2022 Data Shows AOPO Members Help Save Record Number of Lives
What a way to start the new year! The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) recently announced record results for organ donation and transplantation outcomes in 2022. In another milestone year, 42,887 total organ transplants were performed in the United States. Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) recovered more than 39,850 organs from deceased donors in 2022, a 4.6% increase from the year prior, which resulted in successful transplants and over 36,400* lives saved. For all of us in the donation and transplant community, these results show that our efforts and collaboration toward saving more lives are working.
OPOs Set Records in 2022
Boosts in organ donation and transplantation occurred in many areas throughout the nation. Of 56 OPOs, 42 increased the number of deceased donors recovered in 2022 over 2021, and 38 OPOs set all-time records for deceased donors in a single year. With OPOs and our entire community working diligently to improve performance, these early results demonstrate our commitment to our 50K Annual Organ Transplants in 2026 goal.
Increase in Organ Transplants
Specifically, in 2022, an average of 117 organ transplants were performed each day in the U.S. The four most transplanted organs all set annual volume records, resulting in 25,000+ kidney transplants, 9,500+ liver transplants, 4,100+ heart transplants, and 2,600+ lung transplants. Liver transplant totals have set annual records for the past ten years, and heart transplants have set a new record each of the past eleven years.
Increase in Deceased Organ Donors
Over 14,900 people became deceased organ donors nationwide in 2022, representing the 12th consecutive record year for deceased donation and an increase of 7.5% over 2021. Donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) donors, as opposed to brain death donors, increased substantially. The more than 4,750 DCDD donors increased by 14% over the total in 2021.
Collaboration Will Continue to Lead the Way to Success
We know collaboration is empowering our community to move the needle forward in our effort to achieve 50,000 annual organ transplants in 2026. AOPO will continue to work with its members to share new and successful practices, technology and research that leads to more lives saved. While much work remains to be done, the new records demonstrate the OPO community’s commitment to saving more lives and reaching 50,000 transplants in 2026.
Thanks,
Steve Miller, MBA, CAE
AOPO CEO
*Based on OPTN data as of January 9, 2023
*Some transplant recipients receive multiple organs