Increase in kidney transplants as organ donations rise

THE NUMBER of kidney transplants increased by 150 per cent in the first two months of this year compared with January and February in 2010.

There were 44 kidney transplants in January and February, figures released yesterday by the National Renal Transplant Programme at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, show. Six of these involved living, related donors. This compares with 17 transplants in the same period last year, four involving living, related donors.

Programme director David Hickey said there could be considerable variation in the number of organs donated from month to month and even year to year.

“In our view the most reliable way to identify meaningful trends in donation rates is to work on five-year rolling averages, the approach generally used for international comparison. That said, it is very gratifying to see that the number of willing donations was well up at the beginning of this year,” he said yesterday.

The programme traditionally relied on a voluntary approach to donation. “We depend on the generosity of people willing to carry organ donor cards and to discuss their wishes . . . with family members. We also rely on the goodwill of families to allow the organs of their loved ones to be donated.

“As people who deal with the close relatives of deceased donors on a daily basis, we understand just how important it is for them to have the right of choice. The freely made decision to donate affords enormous comfort to many families at a time of deep distress and we believe it is vital that this freedom should be respected.”

He said Ireland had an above-average rate of voluntary organ donation in the developed world, but the rate of deceased donation could be improved by ensuring willing donor families were identified and facilitated.

Organ Donor Awareness Week takes place from April 2nd to 9th.

Text “donor” to 50050 for an organ donor card.