Dozens of deaths and illnesses in the United States among individuals who either received or were in need of organ transplants were caused by a lack of oversight from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), according to a Senate Finance Committee investigation report released on Aug. 3.
The Senate report (pdf) examined 1,118 complaints filed from 2010 to 2020 against organ procurement organizations (OPOs) by families, transplant centers, and anonymous individuals, among others.
Those complaints detailed a string of allegations, such as OPOs failing to complete critical, mandatory tests on patients for things like blood types, disease, and infection, and some patients having to have organs removed after the transplant….