Introduction : Despite a steady increase in the number of organ transplantations performed each year throughout the world, the shortage of available organs for transplantation is worsening. This study aims to analyze the current status of discarded organs (Harvested, but not be transplanted organ) from deceased donors in Korea.

Methods : We used KODA (Korea Organ Donation Agency) and KONOS (Korean Network for Organ Sharing) database to search for deceased donor organ transplantations (DDOTs) performed between 2013 and 2016. Based on the data, we analyzed the incidence and causes of discarded organs according to organs.

Results : In South Korea, 6315 DDOTs were performed between 2013 and 2016. A total of 63 discarded organs were procured. The most common organ was the kidney (n=24) followed by islet cell (n=23), lung (n=9), liver (n=6) and pancreas (n=1). There were no discarded hearts. Except for islet cells, the most common reasons for organs to be discarded were organ dysfunction and vascular defects. All of discarded islet cells (n=23) were caused by separation failure or shortage of proper cell number. We also analyzed cases of discontinuation of harvesting operations for past 4 years. Out of 39 total cases, donor’s poor organ condition (n=27) was the most prevalent reason for discontinuation.

Conclusions : It is obvious that the shortage of organ donors will continue to get worse. To prevent and reduce unnecessary procurement and discard rate, we should more carefully perform preoperative evaluations and intraoperative inspection. Also, it would be necessary to implement a better control system.