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Mean Number of Organs Transplanted per Deceased Organ Donor

The mean number of organs transplanted per deceased organ donor (donor must have had at least one organ that was transplanted)

Higher values are desirable.

Data updated:
Data availability: to (calendar years)
Geographic coverage
All provinces/territories except Quebec
Reporting level
National, Province/Territory
Calculation

Mean = Number of transplanted organs ÷ Number of deceased donors from whom at least one organ was transplanted

Unit of analysis: Donor

Denominator

Number of deceased donors from whom at least one organ was transplanted

Numerator

Number of transplanted organs

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Certain metric values were suppressed or modified for confidentiality reasons in accordance with CIHI’s privacy policy. These values are identified with the text “Suppressed” in the data tables and hover-over tool tip.

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Source

Canadian Organ Replacement Register, Canadian Institute for Health Information.

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Notes

Certain metric values were suppressed or modified for confidentiality reasons in accordance with CIHI’s privacy policy. These values are identified with the text “Suppressed” in the data tables and hover-over tool tip.

The dash (—) indicates that no data is available. Select different parameters or reset the chart.

Source

Canadian Organ Replacement Register, Canadian Institute for Health Information.

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Name

Mean Number of Organs Transplanted per Deceased Organ Donor

Short/Other Names

Organs Transplanted per Deceased Donor

Description

The mean number of organs transplanted per deceased organ donor (donor must have had at least one organ that was transplanted)

Rationale

A deceased donor can donate up to 7 organs, but often fewer can be used. Understanding variation in this indicator can help identify opportunities to increase the number of donated organs available for transplantation.

Interpretation

Higher values are desirable.

HSP Framework Dimension

Health system outputs: Efficiently delivered

Targets/Benchmarks

Not applicable

Available Data Years

to (calendar years)

Geographic Coverage

  • All provinces/territories except Quebec

Reporting Level/Disaggregation

  • National
  • Province/Territory
  • Age
  • Sex 
  • Donor type
  • Organ

Indicator Results

Not applicable

Update Frequency

Every year

Latest Results Update Date

Updates

Not applicable

Description

Mean = Number of transplanted organs ÷ Number of deceased donors from whom at least one organ was transplanted

Unit of analysis: Donor

Type of Measurement

Average or mean

Denominator

Description:

Number of deceased donors from whom at least one organ was transplanted

Inclusions:

Using the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) as the data source:

  1. Deceased donors (donor type code 01)
  2. At least one organ was transplanted (organ retrieved flag and transplant flag are both Y for at least one organ)

Exclusions:

  1. Missing cross-clamp date
  2. Out-of-country donation (province code ZZ)

Numerator

Description:

Number of transplanted organs

Inclusions:

  1. Transplanted organ (organ retrieved flag and transplant flag are both Y)

Some organs may be transplanted unilaterally or bilaterally (kidneys and lungs) and some may be transplanted whole or split between 2 recipients (liver). For this indicator, organs are counted such that the number that is typically transplanted is the maximum.

  • Kidney: Maximum 2, even if donated en bloc — Typically, a recipient receives 1 kidney; thus for this indicator, a deceased donor can be counted as donating up to 2 kidneys. Organ code 11 indicates that the donor donated their left kidney and organ code 12 indicates that they donated their right kidney. Organ code 10 indicates a bilateral donation: this counts as 2 donated kidneys even if they went to the same recipient.
  • Liver: Maximum 1, even if split — A donor can donate 1 liver even if it is split and goes to 2 different recipients. The presence of at least one organ code beginning with 2 or code 90 indicates a donated liver.
  • Heart: Maximum 1 — A donated heart counts as 1 organ even if done as part of a heart–lung transplant. The presence of organ code 30 or 43 indicates a donated heart.
  • Lungs: Maximum 1, even if split — While it is possible to split the lungs such that 2 recipients each receive a lung, it is much more common for the full set of lungs to be donated en bloc; thus for this indicator, donation of any part of the lungs counts as 1 organ regardless of how many recipients receive lungs from the donor. The presence of at least one of any organ code beginning with 4 indicates donated lungs.
  • Pancreas: Maximum 1 — Donation of any part of the pancreas or islets counts as 1 donated pancreas. The presence of at least one organ code beginning with 5 or code 90 indicates a donated pancreas.
  • Intestine: Maximum 1 — Donation of any part of the intestine counts as 1 donated intestine, which is indicated by organ code 60 or 90.
     

Exclusions:

Not applicable 

Geographic Assignment

Place of service

Data Sources

  • CORR

Caveats and Limitations

CORR reports similar statistics in CORR Annual Statistics but methodologies may vary, especially in the way that lungs and pancreas islets are counted. Use caution when comparing across publications.

Deceased donor data for Quebec was not available at the time of release. 

Trending Issues

Not applicable

Comments

Not applicable

References

Not applicable

How to cite:

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Mean Number of Organs Transplanted per Deceased Organ Donor. Accessed April 25, 2025.