The OPTN waiting list, 1988-1999

1. On October 31, 2000, there were 77,999 registrations on the combined UNOS waiting list. Of these, 63% were awaiting kidney transplantation, and 21.5% were awaiting liver transplantation. 2. The majority of patients on the UNOS waiting list on October 31, 1999 were of blood type O (52%), White (56%) and male (58%), and awaiting their first transplant (87%). 3. Median waiting times have increased steadily for nearly every organ since 1988, especially for liver, kidney, and lung registrants. 4. In general, the percent transplanted within one year of listing is highly influenced by blood type and medical urgency. Patients awaiting heart, pancreas, and intestinal transplants experience the highest probability of receiving a transplant within one year. 5. Since 1988, death rates per patients waiting at risk have declined for most patients awaiting life-saving organs and have remained relatively stable for those awaiting a kidney transplant. Deaths are highest among intestinal patients, but appear to be declining.