https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/infectious-diseases/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-organ-donation (https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/infectious-diseases/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-organ-donation)
What doctors wish patients knew about organ donation
One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Veronica Loy, DO, a transplant hepatologist at Rush University System for Health, discusses organ donation.
By
Sara Berg, MS (https://www.ama-assn.org/about/authors-news-leadership-viewpoints/sara-berg-ms)
News Editor
Each year, thousands of people across the U.S. wait for a call that could save their lives. For many, an organ transplant offers the only path forward, yet the need continues to far outpace the number of available donors. This gap not only reflects a growing medical challenge but also underscores persistent misconceptions about who can donate and how the process works.
Currently, more than 100, 000 people in the U.S. are waiting for organ transplants. Of those, more than 60,000 are active waiting list candidates. Meanwhile, the number of transplants performed in the U.S. has increased annually with more than 48,000 organ transplants performed in the U.S. in 2024. In fact, there were more than 7,000 living donor (https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-becoming-living-kidney) transplants and more than 17,000 decreased donors in 2021. But even with the continued increase in deceased donations, there is still an urgent need for organ donors. One organ donor can save up to eight lives, according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
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