How are people matched to donor organs?
People waiting for a heart in the USA are listed on a national waiting list of potential recipients. They are listed at the transplant center where they plan to have surgery. UNOS – United Network for Organ Sharing – maintains the national waiting list in Richmond, Virginia. They are under contract to do this with the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. UNOS operates the OPTA – Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network – and maintains a 24 hour a day telephone service to help match donor organs with patients on the waiting list. When a donor organ becomes available, several factors are considered to make a “match.” Medical compatibility of the donor and recipient in: HLA match (although this plays only a minor role when the organ is a heart), blood type, weight, age, and urgency of need. For heart transplants, geography can be important. Unlike other organs, a donor heart stays usable for no more than 6 hours outside the body. This makes a precise match impossible
