Limited supply and high demand contribute to lengthy wait times for organ transplants in the US. On average, there are approximately 100,000 individuals waiting for an organ transplant, while there are only about 14,000 deceased organ donors and 6,000 living organ donors per year. This creates a supply-demand issue. The most commonly transplanted organs are the kidney, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, and intestines. Wait times for organ transplants are not only affected by supply and demand but also by the compatibility between donor organs and recipient bodies.
Different types of organ transplants have varying median waiting times. For example, heart transplantation has a median waiting time of 81 days, while heart and lung transplants have a median waiting time of 143 days. Intestine transplants have a median waiting time of 477 days, and kidney and pancreas transplants have a median waiting time of 660 days. Liver transplants have a median waiting time of 239 days, and lung transplants have a median waiting time of 79 days. These waiting times can vary over the years due to factors such as the number of registrations added and the availability of suitable donor organs.
