Organ transplants in the United States have hit a new annual high, according to data released by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network(OPTN). In 2015, numbers topped out at 30,973 total transplants. The spike represents a 4.9 percent increase over 2014 and is the third year in a row where new record highs were achieved.
"This landmark achievement is a testament to the generosity of the American public to help others through donation, and their trust in the transplant system to honor their life-saving gift," said OPTN/UNOS President Betsy Walsh.
This year, roughly 81 percent of the transplants performed, or 24,982 transplants, involved organs from deceased donors. 19 percent, or 5,986 transplants, involved living donors. For deceased donors, a new record for monthly totals was also set in July, when 848 donors were reported, OPTN reported.
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Data also showed other trends. For instance, transplants attributed to donors who suffered cardiovascular death also continued to increase. Last year, 2,746 transplants were performed involving organs from these deaths, which constituted almost 9 percent of all transplants.
And while the number of living donor transplants did not break any records, data still showed a 2.9 percent increase over 2014 in this type of transplant.
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"These trends are encouraging, and they make a huge difference not only for transplant recipients but for many more people whose lives they touch. But we have much more work to do to meet the needs of more than 121,000 men, women and children who continue to wait for a transplant," said Walsh.
Twitter: @BethJSanborn