The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is responsible for
transplant organ distribution in the United States. UNOS oversees the
allocation of many different types of transplants, including liver,
kidney, pancreas, heart, lung, and cornea.
UNOS receives data from hospitals and medical centers throughout the
country regarding adults and children who need organ transplants. The
medical transplant team that currently follows you is responsible for
sending the data to UNOS, and updating them as your condition changes.
Criteria have been developed to ensure that all people on the
waiting list are judged fairly as to the severity of their illness and
the urgency of receiving a transplant. Once UNOS receives the data
from local hospitals, people waiting for a transplant are placed on a
waiting list and given a "status" code. The people in most
urgent need of a transplant are placed highest on the status list, and
are given first priority when a donor kidney becomes available.
When a donor organ becomes available, a computer searches all the
people on the waiting list for a kidney and sets aside those who are
not good matches for the available kidney. A new list is made from the
remaining candidates. The person at the top of the specialized list is
considered for the transplant. If he/she is not a good candidate, for
whatever reason, the next person is considered, and so forth. Some
reasons that people lower on the list might be considered before a
person at the top include the size of the donor organ and the
geographic distance between the donor and the recipient.