Final answer:
The U.S organ donation system includes a structured organ procurement and transplant process, with an emphasis on immunosuppression and compatibility, as well as innovative technologies like the Organ Care System ('heart in a box') and potential future developments in bioprinting.
Step-by-step explanation:
The U.S organ donation system is comprised of multiple elements, including the process of procuring organs, criteria for donor and recipient matching, and technological advances that aim to increase the number of organs available for transplantation. Blood relatives are often preferred as organ donors because they are more likely to share similar antigens with the recipient, which can reduce the risk of the immune system rejecting the transplanted organ. Immunosuppression plays a crucial role in transplantation by using medication to suppress the recipient’s immune response, thereby increasing the chance of the transplanted organ’s survival. Innovative devices like the Organ Care System (“heart in a box”), developed by a medical device company in Massachusetts named TransMedic, have shown promise in extending organ viability and are undergoing clinical trials in the United States. This system, which allows donated hearts to be kept in optimal condition by pumping oxygenated blood through them, has the potential to increase the number of usable donor hearts significantly. Another groundbreaking approach on the horizon involves bioprinting, which could one day allow for the printing of replacement organs or tissues on demand, as discussed by Dr. Anthony Atala at a TED Conference.