Organ Transplant Waiting List | Donate Life Vermont

Donate Life Vermont


In 2009, the number of organs donated outnumbered donors. This shows how one donation can impact many lives.

In the United States, there are about 110,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list. Every 1o minutes someone new is added. Not everyone on the list is available to receive an organ at any time. Because of a patient’s medical condition, they may not be able to be transported, or don’t meet other health requirements for organ transplant at that time. These patients are classified as “inactive”. Those on the list that can receive at any time are called “active”.

Actually, the waiting list is more a pool of people in need of an organ transplant. How long someone has been waiting depends on whether or not there is an organ donor match or not. For example, someone may have been waiting for an organ and has been in the “list” for a long time. If an organ becomes available, but does not match that patient, it will go to the next available match on the list. In fact, the waiting list changes for every organ that becomes available.

The National Organ Transplant Act

The National Organ Transplant Act was created in 1984. The result of this act was the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN), who’s objective is to create a system that will guarantee equality and fairness in how organs and tissue are allocated for transplant. Since 1984, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has operated the OPTN, under contract with the Department of Health and Human Services. UNOS administers the database of names that are waiting for organ transplants of all types. The “Organ Center” at UNOS is on call 24/7 to respond to changes of status of patients on the list and other organ transplant coordination.

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