Living donors carefully screened
Transplants from living donors have become an important source of organs, accounting for 210 kidney and liver transplants in Ontario last year, though they didn’t come close to putting a dent in the waiting list. And they are far outweighed by donations from the dead — 379 in total last year — even though long- term survival rates are better for patients who receive an organ ( or, in the case of the liver, part of an organ) from a living donor. And with 1,800 people on the waiting list, living donors could make a significant contribution to society by offering to undergo testing to see if they are compatible.
Living donors are carefully screened and must be older than 18 and generally less than 70, in good general health without any evidence of significant high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, hepatitis, kidney or heart disease. Gender and race are not factors.
If you want to donate: ‰ Find out your blood type, confirm that it’s a match with your intended recipient, then contact the transplant centre that is evaluating the recipient. ‰ Get as much information as possible and discuss the option with your family or a living donation co- ordinator at the transplant centre or the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the provincial organ donation agency. ‰ Donor safety is the priority — it may take days, even months, for all the necessary tests and to ensure that living donation is the best option. ‰ Separate health- care providers assess the donor and recipient to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. Donors are assessed medically and psychologically to ensure they are socially stable and suitable for donation. ‰ Before proceeding, there must be an agreement between the donor, recipient and the transplant team. ‰ Ethical issues may be taken to the hospital’s transplant ethics committee. ‰ If a donor decides at any point to withdraw, the recipient will be told only that the donor is not suitable, to protect their confidentiality. More information is available on the Trillium agency’s website at: www. giftoflife. on. ca.