Once you are accepted for transplantation, you are
listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). This national
organization utilizes a sophisticated database and allocation system to match
transplant recipients with available organs.
The names and medical profiles of newly-accepted transplant patients are
added to the UNOS database and the waiting list automatically updates. When an
organ donor becomes available, the system generates a list of patients who match
the donor organ.
How matches are made
Matches are based on locality (where the
patient is listed), blood type, and the patient's size, height and lung
allocation score (LAS). LAS is a lung allocation system implemented in 2005 to
maximize the benefits of precious donor resources. When LAS was implemented, the
waiting time for donor organs at Inova Fairfax Hospital fell dramatically from a
median wait time of 170 days to a median of 95 days.
Each patient receives an LAS score based on his or her unique medical
information and numerous other factors. The score helps estimate the severity of
each candidate's illness and the chance of success following transplantation.
Donated organs are always first distributed locally within a 600-mile radius. If
a suitable match for the organ does not exist in the local area, the organ is
offered regionally and then nationally.
Coordinating on a local level
Patients are also listed
with UNOS through our local Organ Procurement Organization, Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC). WRTC serves as the vital link between the donor and
recipient. They retrieve, preserve, and transport organs for
transplantation.
WRTC works closely with UNOS and Inova Transplant Center physicians to
coordinate and streamline the transplant process. Currently Inova Transplant
Center is the only lung transplant program within WRTC's region, which means
Inova patients experience relatively short waiting times for donor lungs.
