Expanding the Pool of Heart and Lungs for Organ Donors

More than 100,000 people in the United States currently are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, including 5,000 people on the transplant list for a heart and/or lungs, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Although some will die before they receive a transplant, surgeons and research teams are making great strides in expanding the pool of viable organs. Zachary N. Kon, MD, moderates a discussion with Ashish S. Shah, MD, Matthew G. Hartwig, MD, and Varun Puri, MD, MSCI, about new ways to assess organ quality, technologies to increase their viability, and ways to better match donors and recipients.