When was unos established

Such scrutiny is essential. Organ transplantation is built upon altruism and public trust. If anything shakes that trust, then everyone loses. In , the National Organ Transplant Act established the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network OPTN , a national organ sharing system to guarantee, among other things, fairness in the allocation of organs for transplant.

UNOS maintains a central computer network containing the names of all patients waiting for kidney, heart, liver, lung, intestine, pancreas and multiple-organ transplants; the UNOS "Organ Center" is staffed 24 hours a day to respond to requests to list patients, change status of patients, and help coordinate the placement of organs. Patients on the waiting list are in end-stage organ failure and have been evaluated by a transplant physician at hospitals in the U.

Policies that dictate organ allocation are created and revised through a consensus-building process that involves UNOS committees and a board of directors, all composed of transplant physicians, government officials, specialists in immunology and experts in organ donation, as well as donor families, transplant recipients and members of the general public.

Any proposed changes to the organ allocation rules are openly debated and published for public comment before being implemented. Specifics of waiting list rules, which can be seen at OPTN website , vary by organ. The OPTN acts through its Board of Directors and committees , who bring a wealth of commitment and technical knowledge to guide us. Committees address issues of concern in the transplant community. The board establishes and maintains transplant policies operational rules and bylaws membership requirements that govern the OPTN.

Share your time and expertise to help the donation and transplant community save and enhance lives. The U. This became the national Scientific Registry. This needed to be done by a private non-government organization.

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Search our locations. The American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation has served organ transplant professionals and patients since when it began in Richmond, Virginia. David Hume while at the Medical College of Virginia, this organization was the first to include all transplant professionals: physicians, surgeons, nurses, immunologists, administrators and donor organizations.