Inhalation August 2017 27
less they choose not to participate
(although the medical establish-
ment routinely seeks permission
from family members prior to do-
nation).
4
In the US, people must
choose to be donors, usually when
getting a driver's license. A 2014
article in e Atlantic examines
why more people have not be-
come donors.
3
Still, in the US, 33,600 transplants
brought new life to patients and
their families in 2016
2
and since
1988, 683,000 transplants have
been performed.
2
References
1. Venoy L, Mize, L. UF Health
Shands Transplant Center testing
new device for rehabilitating
donated lungs. UF Health, College
of Medicine, Department of
Surgery. March 9, 2015. Available
at: https://ufhealth.org/news/2015/
uf-health-shands-transplant-center-
Yet there is a major disparity be-
tween the number of people who
claim they support organ donation
and the number who are registered
donors. In the United Kingdom,
more than 90 percent say they sup-
port organ donation but fewer than
one-third are registered.
3
In the US,
95 percent support donation but
only 54 percent are registered.
2
Registration rates in the US also
vary widely by state. In 2012, more
than 80 percent of adults in Alaska
were registered donors compared
to 12.7 percent in New York.
3
Among developed nations, the
US ranks in the middle, whereas
Spain has been the leader in organ
donation for decades. Some of the
difference is likely due to use of an
opt-out policy in Spain where
people are considered donors un-
testing-new-device-rehabilitating-
donated-lungs. Accessed June 24,
2017.
2. Donate Life America, Organ,
eye and tissue donation statistics.
Available at: https://www.donate
life.net/statistics. Accessed June
24, 2017.
3. Why don't more people want to
donate their organs? e Atlantic.
November 2014. Available at:
https://www.theatlantic.com/
health/archive/2014/11/why-
dont-people-want-to-donate-their-
organs/382297. Accessed June 24,
2017.
4. Miller, K. Which country has the
highest organ donation rates? PBS
News Hour. Broadcast May 10,
2014, 1:12 PM EDT. Available at:
www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/
country-highest-organ-donation-
rates. Accessed June 24, 2017.
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