For the fourth year in a row, organ transplants reached a record high last year. In 2016, transplants were up 8.5% from 2015, which is a 19.8% increase since 2012. This growth can mainly be attributed to an increasing number of deceased donors. Approximately 82% of transplants involved organs from deceased donors. This increase is partially due to fewer disqualifications of deceased donations throughout the years—now, professionals, using their best judgment, evaluate the safety of each donated organ. Nearly 120,000 people are currently waiting for a life-saving organ in the United States.
See Susan Scutti, US Organ Transplants Increased Nearly 20% in Five Years, CNN, January 9, 2017.
