Effective Donor Research Articles

Evolution of liver donation in Moscow. Movement towards expanded donor selection criteria

The objective of the study was to investigate the evolution and trends in liver donation in the city of Moscow, with special focus on the expansion of liver donor selection criteria for transplantation. Materials and methods. The study included 1,548 effective donors (EDs) in the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2020. Their basic characteristics – age and cause of death – are presented. The dynamics of changes in the age groups of donors and the dynamics of the number of ≥60-year-old liver donors were studied. The influence of expanded liver donor selection criteria over the dynamics of the number of transplant surgeries and patient flow on the waiting list was assessed. Results. During the study period, the number of effective liver donors (ELDs) in Moscow increased 4.7-fold. The average age of ELDs increased from 37.1 in 2012 to 48.8 in 2020. There was an absolute prevalence of donors who died from cerebrovascular accident compared with donors who died from traumatic causes, 83.4% vs 16.6%, respectively. Since 2016, there has been a progressive increase in ≥60-year-old liver donors; the number of such donors in 2020 reached 39, accounting for 13.6% of the total pool of EDs. The progressive growth in the number of liver transplants has significantly influenced patient movement on the waiting list. In 2012, there was a 25.2% increase in the number of liver transplants per 100 patients on the waiting list; by 2020, it had reached 86.6%. Conclusion. The results reasonably indicate an increase in liver donation and liver transplantation (LTx) in Moscow. Comparison of Russian data with those of leading foreign donor programs shows that the trends in the donor pool in the context of older age, including ≥60-year-old donors, and shifting causes of donor death towards cerebrovascular diseases are similar. An overall increase in donor activity and expansion of liver donor criteria contributed to an increase in the number of transplants performed per 100 patients on the waiting list, which, in turn, reduced the waiting time for a donor organ and increased the intensity of patient flow on the waiting list.

Organ Donation in the Basque Country: 18 Years Experience

Purpose We reviewed of the trends in organ donation within a coordinated transplant program over the last 18 years. Methods Two thousand three hundred and fifty five potential donors (PD) were evaluated in 18 years including 1282 who were effective donors (EDs) and the 4081 harvested organs. A retrospective analysis of various parameters was performed comparing four different periods: 1981 to 1986 (P0); 1987 to 1992 (P1); 1993 to 1998 (P2); and 1999 to 2004 (P3). Results The potential donor detection rate (PD/PMP) increased from 18 in P0 to 47 in P3. The ED rate (ED/PMP) was 10 in P0 and 47 in P3. Organs donated ED evolved from 2.8 in P1 to 3.3 in P3. Mean donor age increased: 32 years in P1 and 53 in P3. ED/PD rate did not vary significantly in the three periods: P1, 54%; P2, 53%; and P3, 55%. There was a change in the main causes of death among our EDs: 54% head trauma, 36% stroke, and 16% other causes in P1 versus 30% head trauma and 64% stroke in P3. Failed donations due to medical contraindications were in P1 17% and in P3; whereas failed donation due to donor management problems and family denials to donation, both dropped: P1 16%; P3 10% and P1 13%; P3 7%, respectively. Conclusions The ED rate increased almost fivefold since 1981 to 1986. We think that this was the result of a better detection since the beginning of our program. Failed donation due to medical exclusion criteria along with the mean donor age of our donors increased, but we noticed a significant drop in family denials and exclusions secondary to donor management problems. Our donor profile has changed considerably during 18 years: an increase of more than 20 years in the mean donor age along with an increase of more than 28% among strokes as the cause of death, leading to more failed donations secondary to medical exclusion criteria.