New Blog 1: Heart Transplant List

Heart Transplant List

Once you are accepted into the transplant program at NYPH/Columbia, you are registered on the national UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) waiting list. Established by Congressional Act in 1984 as a nationwide umbrella organization for transplantation, UNOS's mission is to promote and advance the science of transplantation, and to increase the availability of donor organs. UNOS manages the national transplant waiting list, matching donor organs to recipients 24 hours a day, 365 day a year. It monitors every organ allocation to ensure compliance with equitable policies that maximize the limited supply of organs and give all patients a fair chance at receiving the organ they need, regardless of gender, race, religion, lifestyle, and financial or social status.Hospitals are now required to have organ recruitment policies and procedures to identify potential donors, tell their families about organ donation opportunities, and to notify a local organ procurement organization (OPO) about potential organ availabilities. In January 1998, New York State passed the Required Request Law which mandates that families of potential donors be informed about their option to donate.Once a donor is identified by the hospital and the OPO is contacted, the Organ Procurement Organization will determine the organ's suitability for donation and, if suitable, coordinate its distribution. However, if the potential donor's family decides not to allow the organ to be used, it is not removed.A suitable heart donor is a young to middle-aged person who has been declared "brain dead" based on standard criteria, and whose heart is still functioning. All donors are screened to make sure the Hepatitis B and C and HIV viruses are not present. Any evidence of these infections precludes use of the organ for transplantation.