Inova Lung Services — Programs and Services — Lung Transplant — The Transplant Process: Listing
Listing
Once you are accepted for transplantation, we will obtain listing authorization from your insurance. Once you have received listing authorization, you are listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). This national organization utilizes a sophisticated database and allocation system to match transplant recipients with available organs.
The names and medical profiles of newly-accepted transplant patients are added to the UNOS database and the waiting list automatically updates. When an organ donor becomes available, the system generates a list of patients who match the donor organ.
How matches are made
Matches are based on blood type and the patient's size, height and lung allocation score (LAS). LAS is a lung allocation system implemented in 2005 and most currently revised in 2017 to maximize the benefits of precious donor resources. When LAS was implemented, the waiting time for donor organs at Inova Fairfax Hospital fell dramatically from a median wait time of 170 days to a median of 95 days.
Each patient receives an LAS score based on his or her unique medical information and numerous other factors. The score helps estimate the severity of each candidate's illness and the chance of success following transplantation. Donated organs are first distributed locally within a 250 nautical mile radius. If a suitable match for the organ does not exist within this region, the organ is then offered nationally.
Coordinating on a local level
Patients are also listed with UNOS through our local Organ Procurement Organization, Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC). WRTC serves as the vital link between the donor and recipient. They retrieve, preserve, and transport organs for transplantation.
WRTC works closely with UNOS and Inova Transplant Center physicians to coordinate and streamline the transplant process. Currently Inova Transplant Center is the only lung transplant program within WRTC's region.