ABSTRACT
ABOUT ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION Organ transplantation is a successful therapy for end-stage organ failure. Transplantable organs include the kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and intestine. Organs can be obtained from living donors, either family members or anonymous donors whose tissues and medical profile match the recipient’s, or through donation programs. Organs obtained through donor programs are taken from deceased donors who made prior arrangements for their organs to be transplanted or whose family members arranged for the organ donation upon their death. During 2003, 25,468 organs were transplanted: 18,657 from deceased donors and 6,811 from living donors. Nationally, more than 73,000 people await an organ transplant; each day, approximately 16 will die without receiving one. More than 46,000 people await a kidney. Kidneys are the organ in greatest demand, followed by livers, hearts, and lungs (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network [OPTN], 2004). The medical dynamics of organ transplantation are complex in that living organs are transferred from one human being (deceased or living) to another. In the case of a living donor, the recipient and the donor both go through experiences that require intensive medical and psychological attention.
