Have you talked to your friends and family about becoming an organ donor? If you haven't, today is the perfect time. Consider carefully the following:
- As of January 5, 2011 there are 110,233 patients on the national transplant waiting list (UNOS).
- There are 72,269 patients nationally that are active status on the transplant waiting list (UNOS).
- There have been 23,953 transplants nationally from January – October 2010.
- There have been 12,081 donors nationally from January- October 2010. (unos.org)
There is a shortage of donation as evidenced by these numbers. Talk to your family and friends today about organ donation. Sign up today by registering as an organ donor and sign to save a life at www.donatelife.com
Transplant trends are retrieved from www.unos.org and updated daily.
The leading form of treatment for many types of end-stage organ failure, organ transplantation has saved and enhanced the lives of more than 300,000 people in the United States. Increased need has led to a rise in living donor liver transplants, living donor kidney transplants and organ splitting. Living donation, transplanting all or part of an organ from a living person, has risen dramatically over the last few years. Find out more about the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tenn.
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Melissa Moore is a transplant coordinator for the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee. For more information, contact the Transplant Institute at transplant@methodisthealth.org. All opinions expressed here are those of their authors and not of their employer. Information provided here is for medical education only. It is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. Locate a transplant surgeon in Tennessee or call 866.805.7710 for more information.
