title: Survival benefit of solid-organ transplant in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The field of transplantation has made tremendous progress since the first successful kidney transplant in 1954.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the survival benefit of solid-organ transplant as recorded during a 25-year study period in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database and the Social Security Administration Death Master File.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective analysis of UNOS data for solid-organ transplant during a 25-year period (September 1, 1987, through December 31, 2012), we reviewed the records of 1,112,835 patients: 533,329 recipients who underwent a transplant and 579 506 patients who were placed on the waiting list but did not undergo a transplant.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was patient death while on the waiting list or after transplant. Kaplan-Meier survival functions were used for time-to-event analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that 2,270,859 life-years (2,150,200 life-years from the matched analysis) were saved to date during the 25 years of solid-organ transplant. A mean of 4.3 life-years were saved (observed to date) per solid-organ transplant recipient. Kidney transplant saved 1,372,969 life-years; liver transplant, 465,296 life-years; heart transplant, 269,715 life-years; lung transplant, 64,575 life-years; pancreas-kidney transplant, 79,198 life-years; pancreas transplant, 14,903 life-years; and intestine transplant, 4402 life-years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our analysis demonstrated that more than 2 million life-years were saved to date by solid-organ transplants during a 25-year study period. Transplants should be supported and organ donation encouraged.
authors: Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors: Abbas
authors: A
authors: Rana
authors: Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson.
authors: Angelika
authors: A
authors: Gruessner
authors: Dumont-UCLA Transplant and Liver Center, Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors: Vatche G
authors: VG
authors: Agopian
authors: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson.
authors: Zain
authors: Z
authors: Khalpey
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson.
authors: Irbaz B
authors: IB
authors: Riaz
authors: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson.
authors: Bruce
authors: B
authors: Kaplan
authors: Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors: Karim J
authors: KJ
authors: Halazun
authors: Dumont-UCLA Transplant and Liver Center, Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors: Ronald W
authors: RW
authors: Busuttil
authors: Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson.
authors: Rainer W G
authors: RW
authors: Gruessner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014850:Waiting Lists