Organ Donation after Cardiac Death

Abstract

Interview with Francis Delmonico and Michael Grodin on organ donation after cardiac death. (11:16)Download Although the numbers of organ donors and transplantations in the United States have more than doubled over the past 20 years (see line graph), the demand for organs continues to dwarf the supply. In 2006, there were about 29,000 solid-organ transplantations; as of June 2007, there were about 97,000 people on waiting lists for organ transplantation.About three of every four organs that are transplanted are recovered from deceased donors. The most rapid increase in the rate of organ recovery from deceased persons has occurred in the category of donation after “cardiac death” — that is, a death declared on the . . .