in focus
Multi-organ transplant (MOT) combinations and their frequencies performed in the U.S. from 2013–2017
Based on data from the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
The number of multi-organ transplants (MOT), excluding kidney/pancreas and heart/lung, has nearly doubled in the past six years from 625 procedures in 2012 to 1,035 in 2017.
This increase raises ethical questions that call for greater consistency in allocation strategy (currently, allocation for multi-organ transplant (MOT) combinations is not consistent across organ types). The OPTN Ethics Committee analyzed policy and relevant literature focusing on the potential conflict in the principles of equity and utility in the allocation of MOT.
For example, the graph below shows that MOT recipients commonly receive lower KDPI kidneys—or those that have longer-than-expected graft function—than single-organ transplant (SOT) recipients. This could disadvantage SOT candidates because they are less likely to receive kidneys with the longest expected function.
Distribution of KDPI for deceased donor kidney recipients by multi-organ (MOT) status during 2015-2017
Read the Ethics Committee white paper that examines the implications of MOT and provides an ethical framework for allocation policy changes. Plus, review public comments on the proposal.
In focus
New study reveals variations in risk among living kidney donors
Research shows family patterns affecting risk can predict whether a living donor will develop end-stage renal disease decades after donating a kidney to a related recipient.
LifeLink of Georgia nearly triples African-American donors
Through focused quality improvement and education practices, LifeLink of Georgia has almost tripled recovery of African-American donors.
New CARE tool visualizes organ acceptance and refusal
Center Acceptance and Refusal Evaluation (CARE) Report allows transplant centers to see all of the offers they accept as well as all those they refuse.
OPOs set records for organ donation in 2018
71 percent of organ procurement organizations increased organ donations in 2018, thanks to the generosity of donors and donor families.
