Same-sex heart transplants have better outcomes, study finds Nov 13, 2008
About 2,200 heart transplants are performed each year, but an additional 2,700 patients are on waiting lists, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, which manages the lists. Three-quarters of all heart transplants are given to men, so by necessity many must receive female organs. (Los Angeles Times)
Transplant list tops 100,000 Oct 20, 2008
If the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the national organ allocation system, allocated organs first to registered organ donors, then more people would donate and thousands of lives would be saved every year. UNOS should make this announcement: Over 100,000 Americans are now waiting for organ transplants, and more than half of these people will die waiting. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Valley patients await aid from transplant bill Oct 17, 2008
As past president of United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit group that administers the national organ transplant network, McDiarmid some time back took up her broader cause with sympathetic lawmakers. "I could see we needed some help from our friends in government," McDiarmid said. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Treatment helps hard-to-transplant get kidney Oct 14, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing is considering some big changes to the system. There's no formal proposal yet, but there are options under discussion. (MSNBC -- Health)
Experts Try To Outwit Immune Systems Of Transplant Patients Oct 14, 2008
D. Location: Vail, Colorado on Oct 13, 2008 at 07:44 PM According to UNOS stats more than 17 people die each day waiting for human organ transplants. That means, officially, just under 7,000 die annually waiting. (KWTX.com, TX)
The killing that shamed Norwich Oct 4, 2008
For all its historic credentials, its family businesses, its Caff; Unos and Las Tascas, there is another side to the weave of modern Norwich and its "night economy". Like almost every other British provincial town, the capital of East Anglia has its share of druggies and winos. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Trade would add years to a life Sep 6, 2008
Since 2000, paired exchange transplants have increased drastically, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit, scientific and educational organization. To date, doctors have performed 376 paired exchange transplants in the country, said UNOS spokeswoman Amanda K. Claggett. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Hyponatremia and Mortality among Patients on the Liver-Transplant Waiting List Sep 4, 2008
From the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (W.R.K., R.H.W., P.S.K.) and the Division of Biostatistics (W.K.K., J.T.B., T.M.T.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN; the Division of Gastroenterology and GI Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics Research Program, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco (S.W.B.); and the United Network for Organ Sharing, Richmond, VA (E.E.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Kim at the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology Aug 29, 2008
This Practice Point puts into context the findings of Mindikoglu et al., who analyzed the United Network for Organ Sharing database to see how HIV infection influenced patient survival after liver transplantation. Call for Papers. (Nature News Service)
The heroes picnic Aug 28, 2008
According to the United Net work for Organ Sharing (unos ... UNOS records indicate that between 300 and 400 deceased donors and approximately 150 to 200 living donors gave the gift of life to a stranger in New Jersey in each of the last few years. (NJ.com -- Times)
Vital organs Aug 27, 2008
Nearly 100,000 people are on the national waiting list with about 3,700 added to the list each month, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) ... The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) maintains the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network for the country. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Doctors debate when to declare organ donors dead Aug 17, 2008
Last year, there were 793 cardiac-death donors, about 10% of all deceased donors, according to United Network for Organ Sharing. Most of those were adults donating kidneys or livers. (USA Today)
When is an organ donor really dead? Aug 15, 2008
Last year, there were 793 cardiac-death donors, about 10 percent of all deceased donors, according to United Network for Organ Sharing. Most of those were adults donating kidneys or livers. (CNN -- Health)
Terry Rindfleisch: Heili: Donors, families are real heroes Jul 30, 2008
He is one of two citizens on the heart and lung policy committee for the United Network for Organ Sharing. Heili has been on the committee for 18 months and will serve another year. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Big baseballbrawl in Dayton; 15 players thrown out... Jul 26, 2008
Ask Tony Cappizzi, he brought the teem & unos here from Chicago. By. (The Drudge Report)
The gift of life Jul 16, 2008
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 76,477 people in the U.S. are in need of a kidney transplant ... More information on the organ donation network is available on the United Network for Organ Sharing website. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
State Supreme Court Gives Swedish Green Light to Open Liver Transplant Program Jul 13, 2008
The national waiting list for organ transplants is kept by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). While some liver conditions and their complications can be treated effectively with medications, liver transplantation is now widely accepted for a variety of irreversible acute and chronic liver diseases for which there is no satisfactory therapy. (PR Newswire)
Retired Casa Grande teacher receives double lung transplant Jun 29, 2008
St. Joseph's selects candidates who are eligible for lung transplants and places them on the United Network for Organ Sharing transplant list. Surgeons have approximately six hours to transplant a lung once one is retrieved. (Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, AZ)
Disclosure Of Organ Transplant Risks: A Question Of When, Not If Jun 27, 2008
Thus, Halpern and colleagues propose that the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the national clearinghouse for organ allocation, create a policy requiring transplant programs to disclose "all foreseeable risks" of the surgery to potential recipients at the time that they are placed on the waiting list for an organ. They argue that all patients should be given the option of accepting or declining organs that would come from suitable but suboptimal donors -- including donors with risks for... (Science Daily)
Right to know about organ's origins? Jun 26, 2008
But a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, the nations clearinghouse for organ allocation, said that while he supports thoughtful consent, hes seen no evidence that the current system is flawed. This proposal is a solution in search of a problem, said Dr. Benjamin Hippen, a transplant surgeon on the UNOS ethics committee. (MSNBC -- Health)
Docs push for cash-for-organ studies Jun 26, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, the nations organ allocation agency, is divided on the issue, said Dr. Benjamin Hippen, a North Carolina kidney transplant specialist. It definitely doesn't go far enoughHippen, a member of UNOS ethics committee, believes in incentives for living and deceased donors alike and said the AMAs intent to study the issue is only a necessary first step. (MSNBC -- Health)
Dead Newport Beach firefighter donates 7 organs Jun 21, 2008
About 20,000 Californians are on the National Organ Transplant Waitlist, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Comments. (Fresno Bee -- State)
More Liver Cancer Patients Getting Transplants Jun 20, 2008
According to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, during the 5 years immediately before adoption of the MELD prioritizing system, 4. 6 percent of liver transplant recipients had liver cancer, compared with 26 percent in the 5 years immediately after adoption of MELD.. (MEDLINEplus)
Dear God Committee, Here's Why I Deserve To Live Jun 18, 2008
No, says the United Network for Organ Sharing, which coordinates procurement and distribution of organs from the newly deceased. As Mark Fox, former head of the UNOS ethics committee, told me, "Once patients have been placed on the waiting list, the list itself is blind to whether you are a saint or sinner, a celebrity or a derelict.". (Slate)
NJ looking to force organ donation decision Jun 16, 2008
About 105,000 people in the United States await organ donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, including about 4,200 in New Jersey. Among those lobbying lawmakers to approve the bill is Diane Bottino of Haddonfield. (NJ.com -- News)
Medicaid won't pay for Ellenwood woman's transplant Jun 12, 2008
The waiting list for an intestinal transplant currently at 230 nationwide is relatively small because not many of the procedures are done, says the United Network for Organ Sharing. The median wait time is 200 to 250 days, says Joel Newman, a UNOS spokesman, who adds that intestinal transplants are more commonly performed in children than adults. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
GERALD S. LEVY: Transplants and 'bad' recipients Jun 10, 2008
Much of the criticism can be attributed to a lack of understanding of the federally mandated donor organ allocation process, governed by the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS. These guidelines are needed because there aren't enough donor organs. In 2007, for example, of the 16,311 people waiting for liver transplants, about 40% received them, and 10% died waiting. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Strangers line up to donate kidney to Sunnyside girl Jun 9, 2008
In 1988, there was only one anonymous kidney transplant in the country, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Last year, there were 97, including six in Washington. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Grassley Questions Surgery for Gangsters Jun 9, 2008
Mr. Grassley also asked for information from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, a private hospital accreditation group and the United Network for Organ Sharing. The surgeries were performed by Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil, executive chairman of U.C.L.A.s surgery department. (Newsmax)
Another view: Transplants and bad recipients Jun 8, 2008
Much of the criticism can be attributed to a lack of understanding of the federally mandated donor organ allocation process, governed by the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS. These guidelines are needed because there aren't enough donor organs. In 2007, for example, of the 16,311 people waiting for liver transplants, about 40 percent received them, and 10 percent died waiting. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Waiting list for organs continues to grow Jun 1, 2008
Kidney donations comprise the longest organ-specific waiting list, with more than 75,000 people currently awaiting transplants, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Although there is no sole reason for the influx of recipients, advances in medical technology have contributed to the ability to perform complicated transplant surgeries, Huertas said. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
After Surgery Jun 1, 2008
From Jan. 1, 1988, to Feb. 29, 2008, there have been 426,338 organ transplants performed in the U.S., said Mandy Claggett, spokeswoman for the United Network for Organ Sharing. Of those transplants, 380,575 were primary and 45,763, or 12 percent, were repeated. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
Recipients are thankful of ‘unselfish gift' May 29, 2008
With 100,000 people registered on the national United Network for Organ Sharing waiting list and over 740 of those being people in KODA's service area, the need for donors is emergent. If anyone understands the imminent need for an organ transplant, it's Nathan and Tricia Lawrenson of Nags Head, N.C. In almost daily posts on his internationally known blog, , Nathan has documented every step of their transplant journey. (Murray Ledger & Times, KY)
Newsweek: Are kidneys a commodity? May 21, 2008
As of last Wednesday at 5:44 p.m., according to the minute-by-minute count on the Web site of the United Network for Organ Sharing, there were 75,629 people awaiting kidney transplants in the United States. Here's roughly what we can expect to happen over the next 12 months, based on the experience of recent years. (MSNBC -- Health)
UPMC grip on transplant dominance slips May 20, 2008
In fact, total organ transplants nationwide declined in 2007 for the first time since 1988, according to UNOS. But the nationwide decline was 2 percent -- 28,356 transplants in 2007 compared with 28,935 in 2006 -- compared with 17 percent at UPMC.. The decline at UPMC is happening as the institution searches for a permanent transplant chief. (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)
San Antonio Facility Performs Transplant First; Couples from Killeen and Ingleside Exchange Kidney Donors May 15, 2008
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), 75,878 people throughout the country currently are on the waiting list for a kidney. In Texas, 6,225 people are awaiting kidneys and 2,722 of them are in San Antonio and South Texas. (KWTX.com, TX)
1 dies, 1 ill after receiving kidneys May 13, 2008
"We feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the patient and their family and feel terrible that this patient has had this infection and a bad outcome."But, on the other hand, we see patients who die every day on dialysis" awaiting a kidney transplant, he said. The 57-year-old man transplanted at Hanto's hospital had lingered four years on the waiting list for a kidney. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, an independent agency that sets organ procurement policies, 80,130... (Boston Globe)
Transplant agency reviews liver surgeries after report May 12, 2008
As part of its review, the UNOS Liver tinal Organ Committee is looking at cases in which patients who are not critically ill undergo transplant surgery. It will determine whether rule changes are needed and report back to the organization s main board, which is composed of surgeons, administrators and public representatives. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Pot eased suffering, may have cost his life May 5, 2008
The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates. At some, people who use "illicit substances" -- including medical marijuana, even in states that allow it -- are automatically rejected. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Medical marijuana user who was denied liver transplant dies May 2, 2008
The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates. At some, people who use "illicit substances" including medical marijuana, even in the dozen states that allow it are automatically rejected. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Star resident takes part in historic donor event May 2, 2008
If you are interested in learning more about altruistic organ donation, visit or (The United Network for Organ Sharing). Copyright. (Troy Montgomery Herald, NC)
Organ transplants for immigrants stir debate in Calif. Apr 20, 2008
The average cost of a liver transplant and first-year follow-up is nearly $490,000, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Donor livers are in scarce supply. (Boston Globe)
MCG's 1st heart transplant saves man Apr 18, 2008
The transplant culminated a five-year effort by the health system and transplant surgeon Kevin Landolfo to bring the service to Augusta, which would make it the only program in the area outside of Atlanta or Charleston, S.C. There are 76 patients waiting for a heart transplant in Georgia and 11 waiting in South Carolina, with most waiting more than a year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Nationally, there were 2,210 heart transplants performed last year, but 317 patients died... (The Augusta Chronicle)
6 kidney transplants at once believed a first Apr 10, 2008
That enabled a chain of donations involving the six donors and six recipients from a waiting list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing ... The United Network for Organ Sharing knows of no other six-way transplant, spokeswoman Amanda Claggett said. (CNN -- Health)
Six-way Kidney Transplant Apr 10, 2008
This allowed all five original candidates to receive compatible kidneys from someone they had never met, while the remaining kidney went to the next patient on the United Network for Organ Sharing s (UNOS) recipient list. The Johns Hopkins transplant team pioneered the exchange of kidneys among incompatible donor-recipient pairs -- a procedure called kidney paired donation (KPD). (Science Daily)
Surgeons transplant 6 kidneys at once Apr 9, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing knows of no other six-way transplant, spokeswoman Amanda Claggett said. She added that so-called paired donations are still very rare. (MSNBC -- Health)
4 get cancer from teen's donated organs Apr 9, 2008
Experts say the possibility of getting cancer from an organ donor is extremely rare: Only 64 cases have been identified in a national study of 230,000 cases, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. "A 15-year-old boy's organs are a gift from the Almighty," said transplant surgeon Lewis Teperman, noting the majority of organ donors are much older than Alex. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Missouri Man Chronicles Kidney Donation on YouTube Apr 4, 2008
Nationwide, about 16,600 were performed last year, said Barnes-Jewish spokeswoman Kathy Holleman, citing United Network for Organ Sharing Statistics. Having a best friend who works as a kidney donor match isn't common, but also not unheard of. (Fox News)
LifeSharers approach to organ donation Apr 4, 2008
Currently, 68 LifeSharer members are on the United Network for Organ Sharing s transplant waiting list. Of these, 65 LifeSharers members have qualified for preferred access to the organs of fellow members. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Op-Ed: Transplant need is real, not inflated Apr 3, 2008
UNOS: Recent suggestion that waiting list is manipulated is misguided ... As one of its responsibilities under its contract with the Health Resources and Services Administration, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) operates the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) waiting list ... UNOS reports the total number of patients on the list because every one of them needs a transplant or their doctors would not have listed them. (MSNBC -- Health)
Editor's Mailbag (March 31) Apr 1, 2008
I was in Albany visiting my family for Easter Sunday and was dismayed to read the article that your paper picked up from the Washington Post about inflated numbers on the U.S. Transplant Waiting List that is administered by UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing. It was the opinion of the article s author, Rob Stein, that because the number of folks reported as waiting for a transplant also include those who are currently listed as inactive, it is therefore misleading and used as a marketing... (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Transplant list raises doubts Mar 25, 2008
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the Richmond, Va. -based organization that holds the federal contract for distributing organs to those awaiting transplants in the U.S. UNOS says there are about 98,000 people who need transplants. (MSNBC -- Health)
Trouble with Transplants: Are Some on List Ineligible? Mar 24, 2008
United Network for Organ Sharing oversees the transplant system under a federal contract. "It's unfair. It's simply unacceptable," said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. (ABC News)
A third on transplant list not eligible Mar 22, 2008
Officials at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the transplant system under a federal contract and provided a breakdown of its waiting list at the request of , defend the practice. Many patients are inactive for only short periods because of temporary complications or other issues that are often resolved, they say. (MSNBC -- Race)
Bill would expand organ donation Mar 9, 2008
Many states have adopted similar changes, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the country s organ donation system. Despite Wisconsin s stellar rate of pledged organ donors, more than 110 patients on the transplant waiting in the state died last year, D Alessandro said. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Kidney donor shrugs off danger to save life Mar 4, 2008
The Shermans looked at the United Network for Organ Sharing, the national database of clinical transplant information that operates a computerized organ sharing system, matching donated organs and recipients. More than 98,000 people are on UNOS, and the wait can be several years long.. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Hospitals less finicky about kidneys Mar 2, 2008
More than 30,000 - Americans who join the wait for a kidney each year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing ... The use of expanded criteria donor kidneys has increased about 30 percent since 2002, when the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) set criteria for their use. (News & Observer)
Surgeon accused in death of patient to get organs Feb 27, 2008
There were 670 cardiac-death donations through the first nine months of 2007, the most in any year this decade, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees organ allocation. Over the same period, there were 12,553 brain-dead donations, according to the network. (International Herald Tribune)
Blacks Awaiting Lung Transplants Face Poorer Outcomes Feb 19, 2008
The researchers assessed the 280 non-Hispanic black adults and 5,272 non-Hispanic white adults diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema who were on the United Network for Organ Sharing lung transplantation list between 1995 and 2004. The investigators tracked the outcomes (death, transplantation, removal from the list or still living) of those on the list and analyzed the results with respect to age, sex, disease severity, community poverty level and transplant... (MEDLINEplus)
Race Matters For Patients Awaiting Lung Transplants Feb 16, 2008
" Blacks were also less likely to have private insurance and more likely to live in poorer neighborhoods. Greater cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, pulmonary hypertension and lower six-minute walk distances were observed in blacks compared to whites. However, even these factors did not account for the differences between the two groups regarding lung transplantation. "Differences in insurance, socioeconomic status and cardiovascular risk factors explained some but not all of the... (Medical News Today)
Saturn Celebrates 11 Years of Helping Save Lives Through Blood, Marrow, Organ and Tissue Donation Feb 10, 2008
Saturn National Donor Day partners include: AABB, American Liver Foundation, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, America's Blood Centers/Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals, Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, Children's Organ Transplant Association, Donate Life America, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, The Marrow Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, National Marrow Donor Program, National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, United Network for... (PR Newswire)
Mayo Clinic Proceedings contributors discuss impact of donor organ allocation system Feb 7, 2008
In the United States, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) oversees the allocation of donor organs. With the goal of giving available donor organs to the most critically-ill transplant candidates, UNOS adopted a scoring system called the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) in February 2002. (EurekAlert!)
Restraining Order Tells Britney Horror Story Feb 6, 2008
Os imaginis a Britney tomando correcta y fielmente las dosis de su medicacin para el trastorno bipolar hace unos das, cuando estaba fuera del psiquitrico. Todos sabis que no lo hara, y probablemente por eso lo supervisaba Sam. (Yahoo News -- Britney Spears)
More elderly having transplant surgery Feb 5, 2008
"Twenty years ago, if you had asked me to transplant a 70- or 75-year-old with a kidney, I would have said no. Now we transplant people into their early 80s," says Michael Shapiro, a transplant surgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center and vice chairman of the ethics committee for the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the national system that matches organs. "If you look at what has happened in all organs over the past 25 years, we have broadened our horizons," Shapiro says. (USA Today -- News)
Obese Patients Wait Longer for Kidney Transplants Feb 5, 2008
In the U.S., the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) oversees the allocation of donor organs. Segev and his colleagues based their findings on UNOS data for 132,353 patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant between 1995 and 2006. (MEDLINEplus)
