Transplant Center | Winter 2024 Update
As we head into 2024, there have been many important developments just in recent weeks. This Winter Update highlights three of the most significant ones so that you can stay on top of the latest news, including learning that 2023 set a new high-water mark for the number of transplants conducted in the United States.
Take a moment and check out the following stories:
1. New Record for Transplants Set in 2023, Up 8.7% from 2022
While UNOS has not yet published its annual report for 2023, the data for last calendar year is tracked across the year. The total number of transplant procedures in the U.S. climbed to a new annual record 46,618 total procedures, an 8.7 percent increase from 2022. Of that 14.9 percent of organs were from living donors which tracks about the same as last year on a proportional basis.
A full report is expected next week from UNOS, but you can examine the data at https://unos.org/data/.
2. Organ Transplants Get the ‘Last Week Tonight’ Treatment
In early December, John Oliver’s weekly HBO show Last Week Tonight (LWT) devoted an episode to problems in the collection and allocation of organs in the U.S. Organ transplants rarely get into mainstream television, so this is a watershed moment.
The LWT team focused on racial inequities in organ allocation, antiquated technology that can cause critical delays in transplantation, and poor performance by Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs).
The segment was informative and approachable and included updates on some actions that are already underway to correct the situation. Finally, the host John Oliver strongly advocated for viewers to participate as organ donors:
“Let me be very clear here: I am an organ donor. When I die and someone is in need of these subpar organs, they can have at ‘em and nothing that we’ve researched or covered tonight, however unpleasant it’s been, has changed my mind about that decision…. If you haven’t already, you should sign up to donate your organs.”
If you have not done so already, it is worth watching at this Youtube link: Organ & Body Donations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
3. Steps Toward More Equitable Transplants Taking Root as Attestations are Due
The deadline for filing kidney transplant attestations is January 3, 2024, according to the HRSA. The effort is eliminating racial bias that had unfairly moved Black candidates lower on the waiting list for kidney donations.
On December 4, UNOS released the initial report on the effects of the change after the first six months of implementation. The median amount of backdating that was awarded was 1.7 years across more than 6,100 Black kidney candidates. The impact was immediate as 506 candidates who had their waiting times adjusted received their transplants during the first six months of 2023.
At the time this report was created, only 5 percent of the active kidney programs had submitted their attestations, so these are very early returns. Yet, the initials signs are positive as the changes are having the intended effect.
Read the report at this link: https://unos.org/news/two-year-monitoring-report-continues-to-show-improvements-in-equity-in-access-to-kidney-transplants-for-several-key-populations/
