Northern California Transplant Centers
Facts about Organ Donation and Transplantation
Paired Organ Donation
Resources
Email Campaign to Increase Donor Registration
   
UC Davis Transplant Program
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/transplant/

Stanford Transplant Program
http://www.stanfordhospital.com/clinicsmedServices/COE/transplant/kidney/default

UCSF Transplant Program
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/kidneytransplant/?gclid=CI_SxIOIt5cCFRs-awod43oojA

CPMC Transplant Program
http://www.cpmc.org/kidney/

   
The success rates of transplant surgery have improved remarkably, but growing shortages exist in the supply of organs and tissues available for transplantation. Many Americans who need transplants cannot get them because of these shortages. The result: some of these people die while waiting for that "Gift of Life."

Each year, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) develops special public education programs aimed at increasing public awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation. Learning more about organ and tissue donation will help every American to make an informed decision about this important issue. Here are some facts everyone should know:

1. Over 95,000 U.S. patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant; nearly 4,000 new patients are added to the waiting list each month.
2. Every day, 17 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ, such as a heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung or bone marrow.
3. Because of the lack of available donors in this country, 3,916 kidney patients, 1,570 liver patients, 356 heart patients and 245 lung patients died in 2006 while waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
4. Nearly 10 percent of the patients currently waiting for heart transplants are young people under 18 years of age.
5. Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years or more. People who are 65 years of age or older may be acceptable donors, particularly of corneas, skin, bone and for total body donation.
6. An estimated 12,000 people who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors.
7. Donor organs are matched to waiting recipients by a national computer registry, called the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). This computer registry is operated by an organization known as the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which is located in Richmond, Virginia.
8. Currently there are 59 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) across the country, which provide organ procurement services to 272 transplant centers.
9. All hospitals are required by law to have a "Required Referral" system in place. Under this system, the hospital must notify the local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) of all patient deaths. If the OPO determines that organ and/or tissue donation is appropriate in a particular case, they will have a representative contact the deceased patient's family to offer them the option of donating their loved one's organs and tissues.
10. By signing a Uniform Donor Card, an individual indicates his or her wish to be a donor. However, at the time of death, the person's next-of-kin will still be asked to sign a consent form for donation. It is important for people who wish to be organ and tissue donors to tell their family about this decision so that their wishes will be honored at the time of death. It is estimated that about 35 percent of potential donors never become donors because family members refuse to give consent.
11. All costs related to the donation of organs and tissues are paid for by the donor program. A family who receives a bill by mistake should contact the hospital or procurement agency immediately.
12. Tissue donation can enhance the lives of more than 50 people. Donated heart valves, bone, skin, corneas and connective tissues can be used in vital medical procedures such as heart valve replacements, limb reconstruction following tumor surgery, hip and knee joint reconstruction and in correcting curvature of the spine.
13. In 2006, a total of 14,754 organ donors were recovered in the U.S. Of these, 8,022 were cadaveric donors, which represented a small increase over the total of 7,150 in 2004. Living donors decreased from 7,004 in 2004 to 6,732 in 2006.
14. Donor organs and tissues are removed surgically, and the donor's body is closed, as in any surgery. There are no outward signs of organ donation and open casket funerals are still possible.
15. Acceptable organ donors are those who are "brain dead" (whose brain function has ceased permanently) but whose heart and lungs continue to function with the use of ventilators. Brain dead is a legal definition of death.
16. Organ transplant recipients are selected on the basis of medical urgency, as well as compatibility of body size and blood chemistries, and not race, sex or creed.
17. Advances in surgical technique and organ preservation and the development of more effective drugs to prevent rejection have improved the success rates of all types of organ and tissue transplants.
18. About 94.5 percent of the kidneys transplanted from cadavers (persons who died recently) are still functioning well at one year after surgery.
19. The results are even better for kidneys transplanted from living donors. One year after surgery, 97.96 percent of these kidneys were still functioning well.
20. Following are one-year patient and organ graft survival rates:

    Organ	Patient Survival Rate	Graft Survival Rate
    Kidney (cadaveric)	94.5%	89.0%
    Kidney (live donor)	97.9%	95.1%
    Liver	88.3%	82.03%

21. Following is a comparison of the numbers of organ transplants done in 2006 and the numbers of individuals who are on the national waiting list as of April 2007.

    Organ	Number of Transplants in 2006	Number of Patients on Waiting List* (as of Apr 2007)
    Kidney	17,092	70,870
    Kidney/Pancreas	924	2,375
    Pancreas	462	1,733
    Liver	6,650	16,946
    Heart	2,192	2,847
    Heart/lung	31	121
    Lung	1,405	2,817
    Intestine	175	229
    Total:	28,931	95,323

22. Of the single kidney transplants performed in 2006, 6,433 were from living donors and the rest were from cadaveric donors. In addition, 923 kidneys were transplanted in combination with pancreas transplants.
23. Over 2,500 bone marrow transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2004. Marrow is collected from a pelvic bone using a special needle while the volunteer donor is under anesthesia. The majority of bone marrow transplants are done for leukemia.
24. In 2004, 7,000 cornea transplants were performed. Corneal transplantation results in improved vision in nearly 95 percent of those who undergo the procedure because of corneal disorders. Corneas are acceptable for donation regardless of abnormalities in vision.
25. Virtually all religious denominations approve of organ and tissue donation as representing the highest humanitarian ideals and the ultimate charitable act.

 
 
Recently, a new lifesaving option for those awaiting kidney transplants has been making news across the country: paired organ exchange.

But what is a paired organ exchange and how does it work?

Paired organ exchange is a technique of matching willing living organ donors to compatible transplant recipients. For example, a spouse may be more than willing to donate a kidney to his or her partner, but cannot since there is not a biological match. Through paired organ exchange, this willing spouse's kidney is donated to a matching recipient who also has an incompatible but willing spouse. The second donor then must match the first recipient to complete the paired exchange. Typically the transplant surgeries are scheduled simultaneously in case one of the donors decides to back out and the couples are kept anonymous from each other until after the transplant.

Recently, a couple from Northern California participated in an historic six-way kidney exchange at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. To learn more about this incredible story, click here.

For more information on paired organ exchange in Northern California and around the United States, visit these sites:

CPMC Paired Kidney Donation Program
http://www.cpmc.org/advanced/kidney/patients/topics/paired_kidney.html

New England Program for Kidney Exchange
http://www.nepke.org/

Silverstone Solutions
http://www.silverstonesolutions.com/

National Kidney Foundation: Living Donors Online
http://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/infoPrograms.cfm

Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/transplant/
Programs/InKTP/kidneypaireddonation.html

   
www.ctdn.org
California Transplant Donor Network
Provides services and resources concerning organ and tissue donation. They provide clinical services, hospital services, family support and community outreach. CTDN works with over 160 donor hospitals in Northern and Central California, as well as Northern Nevada.
Main office phone: 510-444-8500
General e-mail inquiries: info@ctdn.org
Additional Resources:
Donation Information page: http://www.ctdn.org/resources_public.php
Donor Family Information page: http://www.ctdn.org/resources_donorfamilies.php
Recipient Information page: http://www.ctdn.org/resources_recipients.php

www.donatelifecalifornia.org
Donate Life California
The registry to sign up to be an organ and tissue donor in California.
Organ Donation FAQs page: https://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/about/facts/faq/
General phone: (866) 797-2366
General e-mail inquiries: info@donatelifecalifornia.org

www.transplantliving.com
Transplant Living
This site is a project of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit organization that maintains the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They provide information concerning the before, during and after transplantation-- as well as info on pediatric transplantation and living donations. There is also an extensive directory by state of support groups, plus links to patient resources.
Patient Information: http://www.transplantliving.com/community/aboutus/default.aspx
General Info Contact page: http://www.transplantliving.com/contact.aspx

www.kidneytransplant.org/patientguide/index.html
A Patient's Guide to Kidney Transplant Surgery, Presented by the USC Kidney Transplant Program
Learn all about kidneys and what transplant surgery entails. Gives information on what to expect pre-op and post-op.
Link to list of kidney transplant resources:
http://www.kidneytransplant.org/patientguide/sources-centers.html
Main phone: (323) 442-5908
General e-mail inquiries: usckidney@surgery.hsc.usc.edu

www.unos.org
United Network of Organ Sharing
UNOS administers the nation's only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), established by the U.S. Congress in 1984.
UNOS "What We Do" page: http://www.unos.org/whatWeDo/
Patient Resources page: http://www.unos.org/resources/
Donation related links: http://www.unos.org/resources/links.asp
Patient/General Public phone: (888) 894-6361
Patient/General Public contact page: http://www.unos.org/whatWeDo/contact_patientServices.asp

www.transplantfund.org
National Transplant Assistance Fund
NTAF has helped families raise more than $50 million for uninsured medical expenses related to transplantation and catastrophic injury.
NTAF helps patients and their families organize, launch and sustain grassroots fundraising campaigns, providing fiscal accountability for the funds raised and weekly disbursements for life-saving and life-sustaining medical care.
1-800-642-8399

www.kidneyfund.org
American Kidney Fund
The mission of the American Kidney Fund (AKF) is to provide direct, treatment-related financial assistance to kidney patients who are in need, and to provide health education to people with, or at-risk for, kidney disease.
Patient Grants page: http://www.kidneyfund.org/patient-grants/
Kidney Health page: http://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-health/
Patient Services phone: 800-638-8299
Kidney Health phone: 866-300-2900

www.livingdonorassistance.org
National Living Donor Assistance Center
Provides financial assistance to those making a living donation. Preference is given to those with fewer financial resources.
General Donation links: http://www.livingdonorassistance.org/resources/
Main phone: 703.414.1600
General e-mail inquiries: NLDAC@livingdonorassistance.org

www.kidneyfoundationofca.com
Kidney Foundation of California
the Kidney Foundation of California, through its patient assistance program provides grants (in the form of checks) to patients so they can purchase needed items for themselves. These checks will be written to the patients, but sent to the requesting social worker or dietitian for distribution.
Main phone: 562-493-0898
General e-mail inquiries: cakidneyfdn@mindspring.com

   
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