Sunday 15 April 2012

No organ is not too old for transplantation

The German hospitals are missing organs for transplantation. Transplatuju even the hearts of 80-year-olds. Doctors do not "throw" or bodies of persons who were chronically ill, reports Dr. Heiner Walters.

Dr Heiner Walters is a physician at the University Clinic in Münster. Transplantation center of this clinic is one of the largest in Germany and there are carried out annually over a thousand transplants of various organs.

Deutsche Welle: Mr. Walters, with whom medical authorities now have the most difficulty during transplantation?

Dr. Walters: "Technically speaking transplants are still relatively safe and feasible operation. Problems arise when organ rejection. This means that the patient's body accepts the new organ. This is especially common in intestinal transplantation. In liver and kidney transplants have fewer complications."

Can generally be said that patients are more accepting of organ blood relatives, but people that are not gender?


"No, not the rule. Plays an important role, a period that passes from when the organ is removed from the body of one person and transplanted patients. When the donor is a person who is still alive, for example, if someone gives a kidney, then the period is very short. Sometimes transport takes too long for the transplantation of deceased persons and then, problems arise with the operation. "

What is the deadline by which it can perform organ transplants?

"This is different from institution to institution. In the heart and lungs that period is four to six hours. When organs from the abdominal cavity, such as the kidney, it may take 24 hours. Liver is the period of ten to twelve hours, and the pancreas eight to ten hours. "

How many are familiar with this problem doctors and staff working in the emergency room?

"They are thus almost not involved. Valid principle that the removal of organs is allowed only when it is death or dissolution of brain waves. This means that every patient, including the donor organ, the first attempts to save life, to be provided completely normal clinical therapy. Even in cases where the chances of survival are very small. Therefore, to determine whether someone will be taken or authority comes not only at the intensive care stations in hospitals. "


"Generally no. A few years ago is true that the heart is taken only from the deceased to 50 years of age. Liver and kidneys, the limit was 60 years. In the meantime, the border moved because we have very few donors. Sometimes, especially in patients heart and liver diseases pose a threat to their lives, access and organ transplants taken from even quite old people who are deceased. even the deceased who had 80 years. "

Are chronically ill persons are excluded as potential organ donors?

"It depends on what disease they had and what medications they take. If someone had high blood pressure, it may not be the reason why the death could not be organ donor. If someone is suffering from cancer and received various drugs , but then it may be a reason to not take his organs. "

Some information on transplants

Is there an upper age limit for organ donors?


- Nearly 12,000 sick people in Germany is on the waiting list for an organ.

- Many of them are waiting in vain. Only one in three gets the authority he needs.

- Clinic in Germany carried out annually about 4,000 transplant organs from the bodies of about 1,200 donors. Once a donor can be taken several organs.

- More than half of all operations of the kidney transplant.

- Heart and lung transplants are much rarer. 300 to 400 patients a year get one of these two organs.

- It is possible to transplant the small intestine. Such a transplant is necessary in patients with "too-short bowel syndrome." This disease can cause liver and kidney damage.

Major reform of organ donation

Bundestag on Thursday (22.3.) Passed a major reform of organ donation, which provides that in the summer of this year all Germans older than 16 responses to the question of whether their wish to donate organs after death. At the same time no one will be obliged to make such a decision. Representatives of all parties in parliament appealed to citizens to address this issue more and to be available as potential organ donors. Here it was emphasized that the decision must be entirely voluntary and that no one should be forced to donate organs.

  






 

1 comment:

  1. That's interesting. However, while it may sound convenient, I think more studies should be made on the actual feasibility of older organs. It's another case of being better safe than sorry.

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