Organ donation in the United States: 1988 through 1992.

1. In 1992, 4,521 cadaveric and 2,578 living-organ donors were recovered. This represented an 11% increase for cadaveric donors and a 41% increase in living donors over the number of donors recovered in 1988. 2. An increasing emphasis on recovering multiple organs from every donor resulted in 78% of the 1992 cadaveric donors being multiorgan donors, up from 62% in 1988. 3. The most common demographic characteristics for both cadaveric and living donors in 1992 were White, blood group O, and 19-35 years old. Cadaveric donors were more commonly male, while living donors were more often female. 4. The percentage of cadaveric donors who were White decreased every year between 1988 and 1992, while the percentage of Black, Asian, and Hispanic donors increased substantially form 1988 to 1992, though not necessarily every year. 5. There has been a substantial shift in the age distribution of cadaveric donors, with the percentage of donors who are > or = 50 increasing every year. By 1992, 21% of cadaveric donors were at least 50 years old. 6. The discard rate for recovered organs increased somewhat between 1988 and 1992 for all organ types, except for lungs. In 1992, less than 7% of each organ type was discarded. The percentage of recovered lungs discarded decreased from 12% in 1988 to 4% in 1992.