More than 25,000 people in the United States undergo organ transplants each year. A new study finds that, depending on where you live, you may not get that transplant you need.
Dr. David Axelrod, M.D., a researcher at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, says "what we found was that patients who lived in the country were less likely to receive a heart, liver or kidney transplant compared to patients who lived in the city."
Dr. Axelrod and his colleagues found that patients living in isolated, rural areas were up to 15% less likely to be placed on waiting lists for organ transplantation and up to 20% less likely to undergo heart, liver and kidney transplants, compared to patients living in urban areas.
One theory for the discrepancy is that transportation may be a factor in a successful transplants because they require multiple follow-up visits.
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