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How are deceased donor transplanted organs allocated?
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is responsible for deceased donor transplant organ allocation in the United States. UNOS oversees the allocation of most types of transplants, including kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, and lung.
UNOS receives data from hospitals and medical centers throughout the country regarding all adults and children who need organ transplants. The medical transplant team that currently follows your child is responsible for sending the data to UNOS, and updating them as your child's condition changes.
Criteria have been developed to ensure that all people on the waiting list are treated fairly. Once UNOS receives the data from local hospitals, people waiting for a transplant are placed on a waiting list. Criteria used in determining priority for allocation of kidneys to people on the waiting list include: time on the waiting list, the quality of the match between the donor and the recipient, and the distance between the donor and the recipient.
As a result of recent changes brought about by the advocacy of pediatric transplant programs such as Children's Hospital Boston, children under 18 years of age receive priority on the waiting list and should receive a transplant within weeks or months of being placed on the list. Because of the success of chronic dialysis, patients awaiting kidney transplant are generally not at immediate risk of dying, unlike other organ transplant candidates. Thus, the criteria that are used principally involve waiting time on the list, rather than medical urgency.
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