OPTN/SRTR 2023 Annual Data Report: Introduction

The OPTN/SRTR 2023 Annual Data Report presents the status of the solid organ transplant system in the United States from 2012 through 2023. Organ-specific chapters are presented for kidney, pancreas, liver, intestine, heart, and lung transplant. Each organ-specific chapter is organized to present waitlist information, donor information (both deceased and living, as appropriate), transplant information, and patient outcomes. Data pertaining to pediatric patients are generally presented separately from the adult data; however, many chapters now have a Donation section, which includes data on adult and pediatric organ donation. The data presented in the Annual Data Report are descriptive in nature. In other words, most tables and figures present raw data without statistical adjustment for possible confounding or changes over time. Therefore, the reader should keep in mind the observational nature of the data when attempting to draw inferences before trying to ascribe a cause to any observed patterns or trends. This introduction provides a brief overview of trends in candidates on the waiting list, new additions to the waiting list, transplant activity, and posttransplant patient survival, with a focus on 2013-2023. More detailed descriptions can be found in the respective organ-specific chapters.