Record pace of organ transplants continues this year
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The number of organ transplants performed in Finland grew significantly last year and reached a new record level.
The pace does not seem to be tapering off. A total of 59 kidney transplants, and 17 liver transplants have been performed so far this year. Last year 552 people received a new organ, over 100 more than in 2005.
However, many people are still on waiting lists for a new organ. Helsingin Sanomat has learned that nearly 500 patients are in an organ queue. The wait can sometimes be several years.
Cornea transplants increased the most last year. Last year 259 corneas were transplanted, up from about 200 the year before.
The number of kidney transplants increased from 166 in 2005 to 209 in 2006. Other organ transplants, involving livers, hearts, and lungs, also became more common.
"Hospitals have been active in getting organs", explains Professor Krister Höckerstedt, head physician of the Transplantation and Liver Surgery Clinic at the Helsinki University Central hospital.
The clinic performs a major proportion of Finland's organ transplants, including all of the country's liver transplants. Donor organs are acquired from all over the country.
Especially the university hospitals of Kuopio and Tampere took an active role last year and have continued this year as well", Höckerstedt says.
Although more people than before got a new organ last year, many are still waiting for one. About 500 Finns are still on a waiting list for a new organ.
"Some patients decide not to seek treatment because of the long surgery queues and waiting times", says Raimo Uusitalo, head physician of the eye unit of Jorvi Hospital in Espoo.
The backlog in cornea transplants has been eased with the help of a grant of EUR 250,000. The Eye Clinic of the Helsinki University Central Hospital is using the money to buy corneas from outside the Nordic region.
So far the waiting time for a new cornea remains long - about a year for Uusima, and about six months in other parts of Finland.
Queues are long for other organs as well. About 260 Finns are waiting for new kidneys, which is more than the number who underwent kidney transplants last year.
There are ten patients waiting for a new liver. Their need for a new organ is more urgant than is the case with kidney patients, who can resort to dialysis to survive while waiting for a donor.
A constant shortage of donors remains a problem. Organs are harvested from people who are brain dead. However, if no donor card is found on the patient, the hospital has to ask for the consent of the family.
Finns appear to be willing to help, as tens of thousands of organ donor cards are filled each year.
Anyone aged 18 and over can agree to be an organ donor. Those under 18 need the permission of a parent or guardian. Donor cards are available at Finnish pharmacies and libraries and on line.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 24.4.2007 - TODAY |
 Record pace of organ transplants continues this year |
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