Organ Transplant "Who Decides? By Deisy Torres.
For many years, only organs from an identical twin closer or a close relative could be used for transplant. However, new ant rejection drug that either fool the immune system or block its action have been developed. The enables organs to be use even if the donor is not a family member. However, there are people needing transplants that there are organ donors.
Sources of Organs .
Most organs used for transplantation today are from accident victims. These organs come from individuals who are brain dead, but whose organs continue to function. Some potential donors have been kept "alive- by machines. When their families have agreed to donate their organs are saved and implanted in recipients who need them.
In order to make this process as efficient and as fair as possible, a computerized network called the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has been set up by more than 140 organ transplant center in United States. Each Network member maintains information on patients who need organs and where these patients are located. The transplant centers also maintain records of the donor's major histocompatibility complex (MHC), blood type, and other data. MHC is a measurement of the kinds of antigens. For a transplant to occur, there has to be at least one matching antigen between the donor and the recipient. A perfect match of four critical antigens would reduce the changes of the recipient rejecting the organ to a minimum.
Choosing a Recipient.
Because there are so many more potential recipients than donors, transplant centers maintain waiting lists. When an organ becomes available, the recipient with the best match, of antigens usually gets it. Sometimes, however, the organ will go to a recipient who is not as close a match, but desperately ill, especially if the best match has a good chance of surviving the wait for another organ. Other factors also influence the choice of recipient.