Organ Shortage and Proposed Solutions

A whole or partial transplantation of an organ from a person, donor, to another person, recipient, is known as an organ transplant.  Kidney, liver, skin grafting, bone marrow, face, and heart are just some organs being transplanted today.  Statistics show that in 2000 there were 22,854 organs transplanted successfully. However, more than fifty-eight hundred patients died while waiting for a transplant.  This is equivalent to more than fifteen a day. This waiting list has increased drastically since then.

There are different factors causing organ shortage. One factor is that doctors are more willing to recommend transplants since the success rate is so good, therefore placing more people on the donor waiting list.  According to statistics in 1998, the successfulness of organ transplants was seventy to ninety-five percent. This success rate is due to the drug, cyclosporine, which helps the patient’s body to not reject the new organ.  Another factor is many organs have to be removed surgically quickly after the donor’s death. This sometimes isn’t possible due to the circumstances of the death. The last factor is people are not willing to become donors.

Different proposals are being suggested, but most all are controversial.  Changing the policy to “presumed consent” instead of having to receive consent from the patient or a family member is one proposal.  Another proposal is “mandated choice” where people have to state their preference when getting their driver’s licenses or maybe when filing their tax returns.  Getting paid for organ donation is another proposal. Xenotransplantation, the transplant of an animal’s organ into a human’s body, is yet another proposal. Two final proposals are creating artificial organs and growing human organs.  For now, willing organ donors is the main source for organ transplants, but in the future artificial organs, lab grown organs, and animal transplants are a possibility.

Rachel Smith

“Organ Transplants,” eNotes. 2003. 1 Oct. 2013 <http://www.enotes.com/topics/organ-transplant-article>.

“Organ transplant,” ScienceDaily. 2013. 1 Oct. 2013 <http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/o/organ_transplant.htm>.