Introduction: The Organ Shortage is a Major Problem That Defies Conventional Solutions

Organ failure is a frequent cause of death. Human beings die when organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas or intestines, cease functioning. Heart disease is the biggest killer in North America and Europe. Approximately 750,000 people die each year of a failed heart in each continent ("Deaths," Table 17). Lung, liver and kidney disease are also major killers, due either to an organspecific disease (such as pneumonia for the lungs), or to a cancer, which becomes lethal upon reaching the organ (such as skin cancer, which spreads to the liver). Assuming comparable populations and epidemiology, Europe and North America each suffer annual lung and liver or kidney tolls of approximately 120,000 and 50,000 lives respectively ("Deaths," Table 17). Summing up deaths due to organ failure in the North Atlantic region results in a body count of staggering proportions - about 210 people per hour.