ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION FOR TRANSPLANTATION

HOW THE WAITING

LISTS OPERATE
 

Who is on the organ transplant waiting lists?

There were 1,716 people on the official organ transplant waiting lists at 1 January 2009.
A patient’s doctor will put an individual on a transplant waiting list based on medical and
other criteria.

In 2008, 846 recipients received donated organs from 259 deceased donors.

Three quarters of patients (76 per cent) on the organ transplant waiting lists are between
40 and 69 years of age. There are 164 people under the age of 30 years on the list, 29
per cent of whom are children or teenagers (under 18).

More than two thirds of people on the list need a kidney transplant. The average time
waiting for a kidney transplant is more than three years.

How is it decided who will get a transplant?

Allocation of organs is a complex process that depends on a range of factors including

medical need, urgency and the capacity of the recipient to benefit. In Australia, allocation
systems are underpinned by the principles of utility, equity and fairness.

Criteria that are used in considering potential organ transplant recipients include:

• Length of time waiting for a transplant

• Important medical factors such as tissue matching and matching of organ quality
with the patient’s medical status
• The urgency of a transplant given the likely deterioration of health without
transplant therapy
• Need in terms of how sick the patient is without transplant therapy
• Logistical factors involved in making a donated organ available to a recipient within
an appropriate timeframe

Who manages the organ transplant waiting lists?

Transplant waiting lists are managed by different groups according to both the organ
involved and the state/territory that the recipient is in, guided by protocols developed by
the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australasian
Transplant Coordinators Association (ATCA).

The new Authority will lead the development and implementation of a national framework
for organ and tissue allocation.

How does waiting for an organ transplant differ from a tissue transplant?

There are no formal waiting lists for tissues and hence it is not possible to determine the
true extent of demand.

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 ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION FOR TRANSPLANTATION

Many more people are able to donate tissue for transplant. Following processing, tissues
such
  as heart valves, skin and musculoskeletal tissue can be stored in defined conditions
for up to five years before being used for transplantation.

Nevertheless, shortage of some kinds of tissue can occur, especially in the case of skin.

How long on average are people on the organ transplant waiting list?

Waiting list times vary. The reason for delays may be based on finding an appropriate
donor, on urgency or on medical matching.

How many people on the organ transplant waiting list can a donor help?

The organs that can be donated for transplant in Australia include the heart, lungs, liver,
kidneys and pancreas.

Tissue can also be donated, from heart valves to bone, skin, eye and pancreatic tissue.

Many lives can be saved or significantly improved from each donor.

 
 

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