US Marks 1 Millionth Organ Transplant Since First in 1954

The United States has reached a major medical milestone: The country’s 1 millionth organ transplant was performed on Friday. The United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the organ transplant network, announced the news in a press release, emphasizing the ongoing need for more people to become donors. The very first successful transplant took place in 1954, when 23-year-old Ronald Herrick donated his kidney to his identical twin brother, Richard. The landmark procedure earned Dr. Joseph Murray the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Today, transplants have become increasingly common (last year, more than 41,000 transplants occurred, the highest number recorded) and medical professionals continue to innovate within the field. Just last week, a team of doctors at Duke Health revealed they performed the first ever partial heart transplant on an infant — saving the baby’s life and potentially hundreds of thousands more in the future. “I think this can revolutionize heart surgery in children,” lead surgeon Joseph W. Turek told Today. “If this became standard of care, we would have a lot of happier children running around with fewer operations and quicker returns to what kids should be doing.”

Why We Need Donors