Major drop in heart transplants

By Niall Hunter-Editor

January 19, 2005

Only half the number of heart transplants were carried out in Ireland in 2004 compared to the previous year, irishhealth.com has learned.

Also, the first lung transplant in Ireland has yet to be carried out due to the lack of suitable donors, in spite of the fact that the facilities have been in place to carry out the transplant since last October.

The Mater Hospital, Dublin

The major drop in transplants comes amid concerns that recent controversies may be having a negative effect on organ donation in Ireland.

A spokesman for Dublin's Mater Hospital, which is the national centre for both heart and lung transplants, told irishhealth.com that only seven heart transplants were carried out at the hospital last year, compared to 15 the year before.

He said the hospital was looking into the reasons for the fall-off but it was felt that there had been a drop in organ donations.

He said the hospital had so far failed to find a suitable donor for the first lung transplant, and a number of patients are still on stand-by for a lung transplant.

A number of "retrieval runs" had failed to find suitable organ donations for a lung transplant, according to the Mater.

Facilities to carry out the lung transplant have been ready at the Mater since mid-October.

The spokesman said lungs for transplantation had to be the right size and fit the age-profile of the patient. He said there appeared to be a drop in cardiac and lung organ donations.

The major drop in heart transplant numbers comes in the wake of concerns that recent controversies in relation to organ donation and retention may be having a negative effect on donation rates.

Recent controversies include the Billy Burke case, in which an Irish cystic fibrosis sufferer, who has since died, was battling for a lung transplant in the UK after he was taken off a waiting list at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, which is where Irish patients currently go for lung transplants.

There are also concerns among doctors about a possible confusion among the public between voluntary organ donation for vital transplants and the recent controversies over the retention of children's organs at post-mortems without the permission of parents.

Copyright © 2005 Irishhealth.com

This article posted February 20, 2005.