Types of Organ Donation
Which Organs Can Be Donated?
Being a registered organ donor indicates to your loved ones that when you pass away, you would like to donate your organs to someone on the national organ transplant waiting list. Just one person can save up to eight lives with their gift of organ donation.
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heart
About 3,500 people in the U.S. are waiting for a heart, and many will wait more than 6 months
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lungs
The wait for a single lung transplant is around 2 years and up to 3 years for 2 lungs
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pancreas
The average wait time for a pancreas transplant is close to 23 months
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liver
A liver transplant wait time ranges from 30 days to 5 years, on average 196 days
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kidneys
People can wait up to 3–5 years for a kidney transplant unless they choose to pursue living donation
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intestines
Adults and children in need of small bowel transplants can wait anywhere from 5–8 months
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Organ Donation from Living Donors
Anyone in good physical and mental health over the age of 18 can volunteer to be a living donor—when one living person donates an organ or part of an organ for transplantation to another living person. The most common organs donated and what patients need most frequently are kidneys. Living donors may also donate a portion of their liver or lung. Becoming a living donor enables more people on the waiting list to live healthy, fulfilling lives.