How are organ donors matched with their recipients?
Donor organs are matched to recipients by a national computer registry, the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Using medical compatibility evaluations, UNOS is able to identify the transplant recipients and find the most appropriate organ donor. Organs are distributed based on need and medical criteria. To ensure that the matching process is efficient, the national computer registry is associated with regional organ and tissue banks around the country.
