World J Surg. 2014 May 16. [Epub ahead of print]

Organ Shortage: The Greatest Challenge Facing Transplant Medicine.

Shafran D1, Kodish E, Tzakis A.

Author information

• 1Department of Bioethics and the Transplant Center, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA, david.shafran@uhhospitals.org.

Abstract

The success of organ transplantation as a treatment for end-stage organ disease has yielded a series of ethical quandaries originating from the issue of organ shortage. Scarcity of organs for transplantation necessitates formulation of just and fair allocation policies as well as ethically viable solutions to bridging the vast gap between organ supply and demand. The concept of "triage" provides a useful paradigm in which to contextualize the organ shortage issue. This entails subjugating the welfare of the individual patient for the benefit of the wider community as an ethically justified response to the challenge of scarcity.