Successful growth of organ and tissue donation continues with June 2024 representing the most ever donors in the New England region in a single month

In June 2024, organ donation in New England attained a new monthly record high. New England Donor Services (NEDS), the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissues in the six-state region, reported it had coordinated a record breaking 64 organ donors resulting in 154 life-saving organs for transplant from those donors.

“This record month of generosity is only made possible by our donors, their families and the dedication of NEDS staff and transplant partners,” said Alexandra Glazier, President and CEO of New England Donor Services. “NEDS staff are delivering on the mission to save and heal more lives made possible by continuously innovating and improving the system’s capacity to serve more patients.”

The month of June represents the highest number of donations ever in the region during a single month since the organ transplant era began in Boston with the first successful human kidney transplant in 1954. NEDS is among the top five busiest OPOs in the nation. 1,401 patients received an organ transplant from donors in New England last year.

“NEDS is on pace for another record year of coordinating organ donation in 2024. The efforts of our over 300 employees are laser focused on serving the donating public and the patient in need by increasing the availability of organs and tissues for transplant,” added Glazier.

Among the reasons NEDS cited leading to record breaking performance:

• NEDS staff engage with families earlier in end-of-life discussions in cases of non-survivable brain injuries to ensure organ donation will not interfere with the family’s timing.
• Utilization of state-of-the art organ profusion devices and techniques – such as normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) – to improve the function of donated organs after surgical recovery but prior to transplant, especially from older and/or more medically complex donors.
• Employment of three, in-house, full-time NEDS surgeons to recover organs to ensure timely availability of a surgical team as needed; whereas in the past only surgeons employed by transplant centers were used for recovery.
• NEDS’ ability to attract and retain top clinical professionals at a staffing level that allows NEDS to maximize every donation opportunity.

New England Donor Services

New England Donor Services is a leading nonprofit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Co-founded in 1968 by Nobel Laureat Dr. Joseph Murray, who performed the world’s first successful organ transplant, today NEDS works with thousands of donors and donor families who have generously made the decision to give the gift of life. The organization’s highly skilled staff medically screen referrals for potential donations from more than 200 hospitals across the region and lead all donor authorization discussions with families. NEDS also allocates organs according to the national transplant waiting list and coordinates their transport to ensure the right organs get to the right patients at the right time. Learn more at https://neds.org/ or follow us on LinkedIn or on X at @NEDonorServices.

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