Mistrust Fuels Drop in Deceased Organ Donations, Kidney Transplants

FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) — More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant, and most need a kidney. Thousands die each year before a matching organ becomes available.

New federal data reviewed by the Kidney Transplant Collaborative show that 116 fewer kidney transplants were performed last year than in 2024.

While that difference may seem small, experts are troubled by the decline.

The analysis points to rare but alarming reports in which patients were being prepared for organ retrieval despite showing signs of life. In each case, the procedures were stopped before organs were taken.

The incidents still received public attention, however, and appear to have caused mistrust in the donation system.

Health officials say new safeguards are being developed to prevent similar situations. But the reports may already be having an impact: Some people have removed themselves from donor registries, according to experts involved in the analysis.

Dr. Andrew Howard, chairman and president of the Kidney Transplant Collaborative, told the Associated Press that the drop off in kidney transplants would have been larger if not for a small increase of about 100 transplants from living donors, where a healthy person donates one kidney to someone in need.

Living donations make up only a small share of the roughly 28,000 kidney transplants performed each year, Howard said.

He added that with the exception of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, transplant numbers have risen year after year.

Even with fewer deceased donors, overall organ transplants still increased slightly last year.

Data shows just over 49,000 organ transplants, up from 48,150 in 2024. Transplants of hearts, livers and lungs continued to rise, likely because of differences in how those organs are evaluated and allocated.

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, which was not involved in the analysis, expressed concern and urged hospitals and regulators “to unite in restoring public trust and strengthening this critical system.”

More information

OrganDonor.gov has more about organ donation.

SOURCE: Associated Press, Jan. 14, 2026