Earlier this year, there were more than a quarter fewer transplants than at the start of last year. The responsible coordination office is surprised – and worried.
The number of organ donations fell sharply at the beginning of this year. The German Foundation for Organ Transplantation (DSO) reported on Friday in Frankfurt of a 29 percent slump in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
The number of organ donors fell to 176 in the first three months of 2022, compared to 249 in the same period. The number of organs removed after death fell by 28 percent to 562 organs. A total of 600 organs were transplanted in German transplant centers in the first quarter. They were referred to the patients on the waiting lists via Eurotransplant. That was 194 fewer transplants than in the same period last year.
«Dramatic development»
Axel Rahmel, Medical Director of the DSO, expressed his “deeply concerned”: “We are facing a dramatic development for the approximately 8,500 patients on the waiting lists.” The slump came “completely unexpected”: Germany had so far come through the pandemic without major losses.
The DSO suspects that the work overload in the clinics could be a reason: “There is a high probability that fewer organ donations could be realized as a result than would have been possible under normal circumstances.” The number of no votes after the consultations also increased. Another reason is that the deceased with a corona infection were excluded from organ donation.
The DSO Medical Board called on “all partners in the organ donation process” to continue to get involved despite the adverse circumstances. “We must not be discouraged. Each of us bears a great responsibility towards the seriously ill people on the waiting lists, »said Rahmel.
Source: Stern
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