Organ Donation & Transplant Matters

Via a heart transplant recipient comes this amazing story in pictures from December 7th 2013 to now. Titled 'My LVAD life until my heart transplant' this video outlines the harsh reality of Mark Sandy's journey to a heart transplant.

Breakthrough in the United Arab Emirates, the first report of an organ transplant from a deceased donor. This has provided a new lease of life for the UAE recipient of the kidney transplant from the deceased donor. As pictured the National Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development, went to visit Latifah, who underwent the successful kidney transplant...........

Via the New York Times comes this report titled 'Groundbreaking Surgery for Girl Born Without Windpipe' The surgery, which took place on April 9 at the Children's Hospital of Illinois and will also be formally announced, is only the sixth of its kind and the first on a child involving a bioengineered windpipe.

To read the report click on the banner headline....

Reported via The Guardian in the United Kingdom and titled
'We must work with families to reduce organ donation refusal rates'
This article explores whether an impact can be made on the non consent rate for organ donation in the United Kingdom - which for those on the donor register, one in 10 families will then refuse.

Statistics are also also given for the mortality rates on transplant waiting lists as well as the costs of dialysis

All of these children were born after one of their grateful parents was given an organ - a gift that also meant life for these 21 youngsters.

To read their moving stories click on the banner headline

As reported via the Australian Jewish News Organ donations are kosher  ORGAN donation is not against Jewish law, despite what you might think. That was the message from a number of senior rabbis and community leaders who joined forces with senior executives of the DonateLife organ donation network in Australia...

Interview with Dr Shaf Keshavjee, director of the Lung Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital, part of the University Health Network, Toronto, Canada. Dr Keshavjee and his team are helping pioneer new techniques which will increase the number of donor lungs that can be transplanted..

Reported via the Boston Globe comes this news from China, titled cultural views impede organ donation. 

Although there are plans in China for phasing out its reliance on executed prisoners for donated organs, an architect of the country's transplant system, Dr Jiefu Huang has been reported stating that ingrained cultural attitudes were acting as a barrier. Statistics are also given for how many donated organs are being obtained via executed prisoners-click on banner headline for more.

This report comes from Melbourne Australia of a coroner's ruling on the case of transmission of a rare virus (LCMV) via organs transplanted from an organ donor. Titled 'Holiday ends in transplant tragedy' as outlined Coroner Audrey Jamieson ruled that the state's screening process for transplanted organs was adequate and could not have prevented the deaths of Karen Wilkinson, 44; Carmelina Sirianni, 63; and Gurpal...

Take a look at this infographic from the United States and see how one donor can help 50 people.

Titled Liver transplants: Driven by desperation
and reported via the Daily News Egypt comes this report on the harsh reality of how liver transplantation services are delivered in that country.

In Egypt, the chronic liver disease Hepatitis C is a major concern in medical circles. The report outlines the limitations in access to liver transplantation which is a barrier for many patients with chronic liver disease.

Reported via the National Post in Canada comes this article on Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD).

In Ontario, DCD is practiced routinely and now accounts for 23% of organ donors. For more on both the history and background to this practice, click on the banner headline....

Just announced, news from Australia. Organ donors will be financially compensated with a six-week paid leave salary under a Government trial. 

Click on the banner headline to read the full announcement.

New portable engineered kidney is getting FDA fast-track status in the United States
http://t.co/nn1dOfIcbt via @prismatic

Click on the banner headline to watch the video.

Reported via the CDC: A Maryland patient who died of rabies did not get the disease from an animal, but rather an organ transplant done more than a year earlier, the Centers for Disease Control has reported...

Click on the banner headline to read the full report.