VitalMatch · Data summary
A “Table 1” establishing that the 9,257 donors with linked chest CT are representative of all U.S. lung donors — the basis for external validity of any model trained on them.
Source: OPTN/UNOS STAR file, Dec 2025 release · lung donors (≥1 lung recovered). CT cohort = donors in the DICOM→STAR crosswalk.
Across sex, DCD status, and smoking history, the CT cohort differs from the full registry by no more than 8.4 percentage points. It is a representative sample, not a convenience skew — with one expected exception (era, hence a higher DCD share).
01 · Table 1
| Characteristic | CT cohort | Full registry | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donors (n) | 9,257 | 59,854 | — |
| Median age (yr) | 37 [27–48] | 33 [22–46] | — |
| Male (%) | 0.0 | 0.0 | +0.0 |
| DCD (%) | 15.2 | 6.8 | +8.4 |
| Smoking history (%) | 9.0 | 12.1 | -3.1 |
| Median PaO₂/FiO₂ | 100 | 100 | +0 |
| Lungs transplanted (%) | 90.1 | 91.9 | -1.8 |
02 · Distributions