Donor organ ops fall sharply

As the number of successful organ transplants continues to fall, the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) has renewed its appeal for more people to carry organ donor cards.

The organisation also voiced concerns about continued delays in resolving issues around pancreas transplantation.

Figures from Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) indicate a sharp decline in the number of organ transplants in recent months.

There were 63 deceased donors in 2014, down from 86 the previous year. The number of people receiving organ transplants also fell to 251 last year, compared to 294 in 2013.

These figures include 18 heart transplants, 31 lung transplants, 44 liver transplants and 6 pancreas transplants. Including donations from 40 live kidney donors, there were 112 kidney transplants last year. This represents the second year in a row the target of 50 living donor kidney transplants was not achieved.

At the start of this year there were more than 700 people on a transplant waiting list — almost 600 of these were awaiting kidney transplants.

The lowest figure for donations from deceased donors in recent years was in 2010 with only 58 donors. This figure rose in 2011 with 93 deceased donors. According to the ODTI, kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organ, followed by the liver and the heart.

However, at the end of 2014 there were 74 more adults on dialysis than a year earlier, reflecting the poor kidney transplanting figures of 2014 because of the low number of deceased organ donors.

There are 4,172 people in Ireland with failed kidneys, 2,278 (55%) are transplanted and 1,894 (45%) are on dialysis.

In addition to urging more people to sign up to become donors, the IKA also highlighted worries about the proposal to move the pancreas transplant programme from Beaumont Hospital to St Vincent’s Hospital.

A spokesperson for the organisation said it is “encouraging” to hear St Vincent’s is planning to interview for the post of pancreas transplant surgeon, but called for a reassurance this post would be filled in time for the programme to commence in mid-September.

Meanwhile, the North has also experienced a marked drop in organ donation, prompting the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to call for an opt-out donation system.

The system would assume people already consent to donating their organs unless they specifically state otherwise.

Go to www.ika.ie or freetext DONOR to 50050.