What organ has the longest waiting list?

The kidney has the longest waiting list by far, with over 80-90% of people on the national transplant list waiting for one, leading to average wait times of 3-5 years or more due to immense demand versus donor supply, although liver, heart, and lung waitlists are also significant.

Which organ has the greatest number of people on a waiting list?

There are more than 106,000 people on the national transplant waiting list with 92,000 (87%) waiting for a kidney, according to the American Kidney Fund. The United States is faced with a dramatic difference between the demand for kidneys and the availability of donors.

What organ is the highest in demand on the donor list?

The two organs that are needed most frequently are kidneys and livers. About 83 percent of the people on the national transplant waiting list are waiting for kidney transplants and about 12 percent are waiting for liver transplants according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

What organ transplant has the lowest success rate?

Organ transplants with the lowest success rates, especially long-term, are often lung and intestinal transplants, due to high risks of chronic rejection (Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome for lungs) and severe infections, making them very challenging despite advancements. While kidney transplants have high short-term success, lung and intestinal transplants face greater hurdles for long-term patient and graft survival, with lungs having low 5-year survival and intestines a high risk of early loss and infection. 

What is the most rejected organ transplant?

Chronic rejection has widely varied effects on different organs. At 5 years post-transplant, 80% of lung transplants, 60% of heart transplants and 50% of kidney transplants are affected, while liver transplants are only affected 10% of the time.

How Long Is The Waiting List For An Organ? - The Health Brief

What is the hardest organ to get a transplant for?

While the heart and liver are very complex, lung transplants are often considered the hardest due to the lungs' extreme vulnerability to infection and damage, making them difficult to preserve and prone to complications like chronic rejection (bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome) after surgery, with intestinal transplants also ranking as highly complex.
 

Which transplant is never rejected?

Cornea transplants are rarely rejected because the cornea has no blood supply. Also, transplants from one identical twin to another are almost never rejected.

What is the rarest organ transplant?

Multiorgan transplants, especially triple transplants, remain rare. U.S. medical centers, including all three Mayo Clinic campuses — Arizona, Florida and Minnesota — have performed 62 heart, liver and kidney transplants since 1989, says Bashar A.

What two organs cannot be transplanted?

Some organs, like the brain, cannot be transplanted. Tissues include bones, tendons (both referred to as musculoskeletal grafts), cornea, skin, heart valves, nerves and veins. Worldwide, the kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs, followed by the liver and then the heart.

What's the easiest organ to transplant?

The easiest organ to transplant, in terms of simplicity and high success rates, is the cornea, as it's avascular (no blood vessels) and doesn't need perfect matching, making it a "universal donor". For living donors, the kidney is the most common and straightforward donation (one kidney works fine), while the liver is also relatively easy because it regenerates, and a portion can be donated and grow back for both donor and recipient.
 

What is the #1 transplant hospital in the US?

As of early 2025, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) ranks #1 in the U.S. for overall transplant volume, performing a record number of procedures in 2024, including kidneys, livers, hearts, and lungs, excelling in volume and outcomes. While TGH leads in total volume, other centers like UCLA Medical Center, UCSF Medical Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian are also top performers, with rankings varying slightly by specific organ or time period. 

Which organ cannot be donated after death?

“Where extracorporeal machines or transplantation can support or replace the function of organs such as the heart, lung, liver or kidney, the brain is the only organ that cannot be supported or replaced by medical technology.”

What is the average out of pocket cost for a kidney transplant?

Kidney Transplantation Costs

In 2020, the average kidney transplant cost was US$442,500 (6). Charges for the transplant admission, which include the surgery itself, are the most expensive line item, accounting for 34% of the total cost.

Who gets priority in organ donation?

With the exception of perfectly-matched kidneys and the most urgent liver patients, first priority goes to patients at transplant hospitals situated in the communities served by the local organ procurement organization (OPO), like Gift of Life Donor Program. Next in priority are patients in areas served by nearby OPOs.

What is the 90 minute rule for organ donation?

If the patient does not expire within 60-90 minutes, the medical staff moves the patient to a location as outlined in Step Four and continues to administer palliative care. Organs are recovered to ultimately give life to patients in need. Through DCD donation, as many as six lives can be saved with one patient's gift.

What organ is most often removed?

The most commonly removed organ in surgery is the gallbladder, with over a million procedures annually in the U.S. due to gallstones, followed by the appendix (appendectomy) for inflammation (appendicitis) and potentially uterus (hysterectomy) or spleen, but the gallbladder stands out as the most frequent elective and emergency removal for digestive issues, allowing people to live normally without it. 

Which organ is the king of all organs?

The Heart: King of Organs | HeartMath Institute.

What 12 organs can you live without?

You can live without several organs, including the spleen, appendix, gallbladder, tonsils, and most of the large intestine, and even one lung or kidney, though the latter requires dialysis. Other potentially removable organs are the uterus, ovaries, testicles, parts of the colon, rectum, thyroid, bladder, and even the stomach (with significant dietary changes), often requiring hormone therapy or other medical support for a normal life. 

Which organ cannot heal itself?

The tooth, specifically the enamel layer, is considered the only part of the human body that cannot repair itself because it lacks the necessary living cells to regenerate once damaged. So, take good care of your teeth and keep that smile shining bright!

What is the riskiest organ transplant?

Heart transplantation is considered one of the most complex and dangerous surgical operations due to the organ's sensitivity and vital importance. The patient needs lifelong close monitoring to avoid rejection of the transplanted organ and to take immunosuppressant drugs that may cause other health complications.

How long will Selena Gomez's kidney last?

Gomez, who has been open about her mental and physical health struggles for years, revealed that a donated kidney will typically last about 30 years. "Which is fine," she told Rolling Stone.

Why did Michelle Trachtenberg have a liver transplant in real life?

The reasons Trachtenberg received the transplant are not known. Nationwide, alcohol-related liver disease is the most common reason for a liver transplant — around 41% of recipients in 2023 had alcohol-related liver disease as their primary diagnosis.

What is the hardest transplant to recover from?

“A lung transplant is second only to an intestinal transplant for having some of the most complicated outcomes,” says Jason Turowski, MD, Brian's pulmonologist.

Can a blind person see again with an eye transplant?

Currently, a whole eye transplant doesn't restore sight because the optic nerve can't regenerate to connect the new eye to the brain, but research is advancing, with new programs and techniques aiming to solve this, while other methods like cornea transplants (for corneal blindness) and bionic eye implants (for retinal diseases) are successfully restoring partial vision. 

Can you donate your organs while still alive?

Yes, you can donate organs and tissues while alive through living donation, most commonly a kidney or a portion of the liver, but also parts of the lung, pancreas, or intestines, allowing you to save lives with better outcomes and shorter wait times for recipients. Living donation is a selfless act where a healthy person gives an organ or part of one to someone in need, with the donated part regenerating or the remaining organ taking over function.