Final answer:
Around 2,400 heart transplants are performed yearly in the United States, and although 36,518 organ transplants were done in 2018, the number of heart transplants is consistent with the annual average.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the United States, about 2,400 heart transplants are performed each year on average for the past two decades. Despite the total number of organ transplants being 36,518 in 2018, the number of heart transplants performed typically remains around this annual average. Heart transplants are a vital procedure for those with diseased or damaged hearts and can be the only long-term solution for survival.
However, there is a significant shortage of available hearts for transplant. Many patients sadly pass away while waiting for this life-saving operation. Innovations like the heart-in-a-box system by TransMedic have the potential to increase the number of transplants by maintaining the health of the heart during transport and extending the time to up to 12 hours before it must be transplanted.