Organ donation and transplantation in Canada: insights from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register.

Abstract

Purpose of reviewTo provide an overview of the transplant component of the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR).FindingsCORR is the national registry of organ failure in Canada. It has existed in some form since 1972 and currently houses data on patients with end-stage renal disease and solid organ transplants (kidney and/or non-kidney). The transplant component of CORR receives data on a voluntary basis from individual transplant centres and organ procurement organizations across the country. Coverage for transplant procedures is comprehensive and complete. Long-term outcomes are tracked based on follow-up reports from participating transplant centres. The longitudinal nature of CORR provides an opportunity to observe the trajectory of a patient’s journey with organ failure over their life span. Research studies conducted using CORR data inform both practitioners and health policy makers alike.ImplicationsThe importance of registry data in monitoring and improving care for Canadian transplant candidates/recipients cannot be over-stated. This paper provides an overview of the transplant data in CORR including its history, data considerations, recent findings, new initiatives, and future directions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40697-014-0031-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.