New Rules Give Hope to People Waiting for Donated Kidneys

December 5, 2014

(CNN) – Kidneys are a scarce resource. Fewer than 17,000 transplants are performed a year, and there are 101,954 people who need a donated kidney, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, the organization that runs the system. When someone needs a transplant, he or she is placed on a waiting list. Where someone falls on that list depends on a wide variety of factors. These shifted with Thursday’s changes. The hope is that the new criteria will help maximize the benefits from the small pool of donated kidneys available.