Arizona woman's three-year wait exposes US organ transplant complexity

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 11:32 · Archive

A Phoenix woman waited three years for an intestine transplant after a car crash, revealing inefficiencies in the US organ transplant system.

A car crash destroyed Katherine Screws' small intestine, leaving her unable to eat and dependent on intravenous nutrition. Her Phoenix hospital predicted she would receive a transplant within six months, but the wait extended to three years. After an unusual meeting with an organ procurement organisation, Screws learned that hospitals vary considerably in which organs they accept or refuse. She decided to travel across the country to another hospital, where she received a transplant within weeks.

Screws expressed frustration about the lack of transparency in the transplant system. "I wish that there was more clarity with patients about when is an organ coming up that could be a match for you and why is it not a match," she said. She reflected that she should have asked sooner what was holding up her transplant and what options were available to her.

The case reveals broader inefficiencies in the US organ transplant system. Patients often struggle to navigate decisions about where to seek care, whether to join multiple hospitals' transplant lists, and whether to accept a less-than-perfect organ. Approximately one in five donated organs go unused, typically because no recipient is found in time. Studies of kidney transplants, the most common type, show a 16-fold variation in how quickly patients receive transplants depending on their hospital.

How it is being reported

• Arizona woman's 3-year wait for an intestine shows the US organ transplant system's complexityA car crash destroyed a 25-year-old Phoenix woman's small intestine, leaving her dependent on IV nutrition and often too sick to get out of bed.Clickorlando · 20 Oct, 11:00
• Arizona woman's 3-year wait for an intestine shows the US organ transplant system's complexityA car crash destroyed a 25-year-old Phoenix woman's small intestine, leaving her dependent on IV nutrition and often too sick to get out of bed.News4Jax · 20 Oct, 11:00

In this story: Katherine Screws · Phoenix · Arizona

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