Ethical issues in thoracic organ distribution for transplant

Abstract

Demand for thoracic organs for transplant far exceeds supply, resulting in long waiting times and increasing numbers of deaths on the lung and heart transplant lists in the United States. This shortage of donors poses dilemmas for allocation of the limited resource of donated thoracic organs. This article reviews the ethical issues that come into consideration as members of the transplant community grapple with ways to improve the distribution algorithm for thoracic organs for transplant.