The first successful transplant was a kidney transplant performed on December 23, 1954 at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston by Dr. Joseph Murray (who was awarded the 1990 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine). The recipient survived 9 years after transplantation. Since that time, the development of improved medications to prevent or treat rejection has allowed the development of other forms of organ transplantation:
Organ transplantation is very successful. Patients receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor can anticipate a one-year transplant (or graft) survival of 92.0%, and patients receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor can anticipate a one-year transplant survival of 96.5%. Patients who receive a kidney transplant have reduced morbidity and mortality compared to dialysis patients and have an improved Quality of Life compared to dialysis patients. Patients with a kidney transplant are also less expensive to the health care system than dialysis patients.
In 2009, over 50,000 organ transplants were conducted in the US, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. However, over 100,000 people are still waiting for an organ transplant in the US alone.