OPO's serve as the integral link between the potential donor and recipient and are accountable for the retrieval, preservation and transportation of organs for transplantation. All OPOs are UNOS members. An immunosuppressive drug used with other immunosuppressive drugs, that acts specifically to inhibit helper T cells, thereby helping prevent the rejection of a transplanted organ. Survival rates are often given at one, three and five years. Policy modifications are never made without examining their impact on transplant survival rates.
Survival rates improve with technological and scientific advances.
Developing policies that reflect and respond to these advances in transplantation will also improve survival rates. Each time a donor organ becomes available, the UNOS computer generates a list of potential recipients based on factors that include genetic similarity, organ size, medical urgency and time on the waiting list.