Leading Science and Medical Personnel Gather to Discuss Medical Advances and Challenges in Organ Donation
2007 International Organ and Tissue Donation Congress to Meet in Philadelphia November 11 to 14
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Society of Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP) and the International Transplant Coordinators Society (ITCS) will host the 2007 International Organ and Tissue Donation Congress, November 11-14 in Philadelphia, PA. The event, which is coming to the United States for the first time in 10 years, will bring together preeminent international science and medical professionals to discuss medical advancements and challenges in organ donation.
More than 75 speakers from 26 counties will participate and 170 scientific abstracts will be presented. The program supports an interchange of improvement models regarding care and management, as well as socioeconomic, ethical, and regulatory issues relevant to solid organ and tissue donations, procurement and preservation. Discussion topics include best practices and strategic systems, consent and legislative models, preservation, transplant tourism, financial incentives, donation after cardiac death, expanded donor criteria and tissue banking models.
The Gift of Life Institute of the Gift of Life Donor Program, one of the largest organ procurement organizations in the world, will host the meeting of more than 400 international organ and tissue procurement and transplant professionals.
Howard M. Nathan, President and CEO, Gift of Life and incoming President, ISODP noted, “We are very excited to be hosting this important forum to highlight new perspectives and state-of-the-art practices while addressing the many scientific, medical and ethical issues arising globally. Our ultimate goal is to save more lives.”
Attendees include internationally-renowned transplant surgeons, fellows, transplant coordinators, nurses, critical care physicians, and hospital specialists who are interested in clinical and research aspects of donation, procurement and preservation.
The Congress will be held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia. For information, visit: http://www.isodp2007.org/. Complimentary registration is available to media.
For the complete scientific program, visit: http://www.isodp2007.org/secondary.cfm?section=Program
ISODP (http://www.transplantation-soc.org/) fosters, promotes and develops all aspects of organ and tissue donation and procurement.
ITCS (http://med.kuleuven.be/itcs/home.html), a society of transplant coordinators, provides a structure to respond to transplant coordination issues at international meetings.
Gift of Life Institute (http://www.giftoflifeinstitute.org/), an international training center for donation professionals, offers comprehensive, interdisciplinary resources for skill-based learning, continuing education, collaborative research and consulting services.
Promoting Organ Donations the Gift of Life
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Donation of organs promoted at Chamber
Donation of organs promoted at Chamber
ALYSON VAN DEUSEN
alyson@thespectrum.com
ST. GEORGE - An Intermountain Donor Services spokesman touted the importance of becoming an organ donor Wednesday during the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce's weekly luncheon at Dixie State College.
About 270 people in the Utah, Idaho and Wyoming region are waiting to receive an organ transplant, said Alex McDonald, the director of public education and public relations for the company.
About five or six chamber members asked questions during the presentation, including if a person could donate after being in hospice.
"It's always interesting to see what they can do to help people," said chamber member Scott Stahle, who works at Today in Dixie.
About one in 80 people in Utah that die are eligible to be organ donors, McDonald said.
The number of eligible donors is so low, McDonald said, because eligible donors must die in a hospital on a ventilator.
But Utah does have the highest percentage of organ donors in the United States.
One person can potentially make nine donations.
The heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and intestine can all be donated, McDonald said.
Two people can each receive a lung or kidney, and the liver can go to one adult and one child, he said.
"Transplants are extremely successful," McDonald said.
One liver recipient is living 35 years after his transplant, he said.
People can also make tissue donations, McDonald said.
Tissue donations include skin, long bones in the arms and legs, blood vessels, abdomen and legs, cartilage and ligaments, and heart valves, he said.
Many transplants are successful, but there are still misconceptions about being a donor, McDonald said.
Some people believe hospitals won't make the same amount of effort to revive or save an organ donor as they would a non-donor, McDonald said.
But that is not the case.
"The No. 1 priority of hospital staff is to save your life," he said.
McDonald also said most medical conditions do not prevent a person from being a donor. Only people with HIV/AIDS or active cancers cannot be organ donors.
People can also choose to donate bone marrow and blood while they are alive, McDonald said.
"I didn't realize how many uses they had for organs," said Patricia Sheffield, director of the Washington County Children's Justice Center.
Sheffield said she is already an organ donor, but that the presentation reaffirmed her support for the program.
"Now I know for sure it's the right thing to do," she said.
ALYSON VAN DEUSEN
alyson@thespectrum.com
ST. GEORGE - An Intermountain Donor Services spokesman touted the importance of becoming an organ donor Wednesday during the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce's weekly luncheon at Dixie State College.
About 270 people in the Utah, Idaho and Wyoming region are waiting to receive an organ transplant, said Alex McDonald, the director of public education and public relations for the company.
About five or six chamber members asked questions during the presentation, including if a person could donate after being in hospice.
"It's always interesting to see what they can do to help people," said chamber member Scott Stahle, who works at Today in Dixie.
About one in 80 people in Utah that die are eligible to be organ donors, McDonald said.
The number of eligible donors is so low, McDonald said, because eligible donors must die in a hospital on a ventilator.
But Utah does have the highest percentage of organ donors in the United States.
One person can potentially make nine donations.
The heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and intestine can all be donated, McDonald said.
Two people can each receive a lung or kidney, and the liver can go to one adult and one child, he said.
"Transplants are extremely successful," McDonald said.
One liver recipient is living 35 years after his transplant, he said.
People can also make tissue donations, McDonald said.
Tissue donations include skin, long bones in the arms and legs, blood vessels, abdomen and legs, cartilage and ligaments, and heart valves, he said.
Many transplants are successful, but there are still misconceptions about being a donor, McDonald said.
Some people believe hospitals won't make the same amount of effort to revive or save an organ donor as they would a non-donor, McDonald said.
But that is not the case.
"The No. 1 priority of hospital staff is to save your life," he said.
McDonald also said most medical conditions do not prevent a person from being a donor. Only people with HIV/AIDS or active cancers cannot be organ donors.
People can also choose to donate bone marrow and blood while they are alive, McDonald said.
"I didn't realize how many uses they had for organs," said Patricia Sheffield, director of the Washington County Children's Justice Center.
Sheffield said she is already an organ donor, but that the presentation reaffirmed her support for the program.
"Now I know for sure it's the right thing to do," she said.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
10-year-old girl thrives on gift of life
Lakewood News
10-year-old girl thrives on gift of life
Child, mother remember organ donor who saved girl's life at 4 years old
By Jennifer Gilbert write the author
November 01, 2007
Consuelo West of Lakewood has a hard time not spoiling her daughter, Alicia Valdez
Alicia Valdez and her mother Consuelo West are strong advocates for organ and tissue donation. Valdez received a liver transplant when she was four years old from a 16-year-old boy who died in a car accident.
It was not always so difficult to say no to her 10-year-old daughter, but five years ago West faced losing her only child.
Valdez became gravely ill, and doctors could not find what was wrong with her. A virus had attacked her system, draining her body of fluids, lowering her blood sugar and eventually causing liver failure.
She was one of three pediatric patients waiting for a liver at the Children's Hospital, and she remained on the list for seven long days.
"I had a lot of different emotions," West said. "I don't think I had time to register it all."
All three patients waiting for liver donations received them while West was in the hospital, but Valdez was the only one who survived.
Valdez remained in the hospital for six weeks while doctors made sure her body accepted the donated liver.
"They still couldn't prepare me for what I saw," West said when her daughter was about to go in for surgery. "She was completely strapped down, both arms, both legs. It was very hard. She was trying to mouth 'mommy' at me, but she couldn't because of the tube in her throat. I had to walk away."
Valdez received a portion of a liver from a 16-year-old who had died in a car accident. His nickname was Bubba, and he saved four other lives that day with another portion of his liver, his heart, kidneys and his lungs.
Donor Alliance, the organ donation organization serving Colorado and most of Wyoming, said one donor could save eight lives with organ donation and an additional 100 lives with tissue donation. As of Oct. 19, there were 1,774 people in Colorado waiting for an organ donation. Children accounted for 33 of them. Usable organs include the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, lungs and the small intestine. Tissue donations can go to many compatible matches waiting for life-saving assistance.
"Colorado has one of the highest donation rates in the country," said Jennifer Moe, spokeswoman for Donor Alliance. "More than 60 percent say yes to donation. … That's in the top 5 percent in the country."
The United Network for Organ Sharing regulates donations, and recipients receive priority based on the urgency of need, compatibility of the donor and recipient, and blood type.
West had played the waiting game before with her own father. He had been diagnosed with cancer and had been waiting for a liver, but his name never reached the top of the list. He was removed because the cancer spread too far.
He died shortly after Valdez recovered.
"I honestly couldn't believe when I heard Alicia needed a liver transplant," West said. "At that time, we knew dad couldn't get a transplant. It was hard. I think he waited to make sure she was OK."
Valdez remembers very little of her time in the hospital. She was 4 at the time, but she remembers the nurses, the clowns and the necklaces she made.
She also remembers considering possibilities most children never have to take into account.
"I was thinking I might not make it," Valdez said. "I think about it, that I am really lucky I got one. I'm not one of the kids who's still on the list."
She now loves playing basketball, one of Bubba's favorite sports. Bubba also collected pennies, and every time Valdez sees one, she thinks of the boy who saved her life.
Valdez and West got the opportunity to meet Bubba's grandmother, the woman who raised him, last year. They gathered at Chuck E. Cheese, and West visited with the grandmother while Valdez and the other grandchild played together.
Bubba's grandfather had died the year before his life ended, so the grandmother had been alone after his accident. West said that it was a difficult decision for the grandmother to donate Bubba's organs, but the grandmother was happy to meet the girl who her grandson's death had helped.
"When she received my letter, she felt her son didn't die in vain," West said. "There is actually a part of him living through Alicia. I think of her all the time."
There were nearly 98,000 people waiting for organs nationally as of Oct. 29, and 18 people a day die waiting for a transplant. About 500,000 people donate organ and tissue every year, Moe said.
Donor Alliance spends much of its time educating the public on organ and tissue donation, helping eliminate myths that someone cannot give because of age or health. Individual cases are judged at the time of death.
Moe added that a person must be proclaimed legally brain dead and be a registered donor to have his or her organs used, and they also must die in a hospital. Tissue donations can be taken from registered donors who die outside of a hospital setting.
"Anybody who works in this industry is passionate about helping people," Moe said. "We care about the wonderful people we get to meet and the lives organ and tissue donation save."
West considers that generosity regularly and is herself a registered donor. Simple, everyday activities are not so mundane for the mother.
She remembers sitting in the hospital room, wishing she could be home making her daughter breakfast, driving her to school, even be in rush hour on her way to work.
"This is something I will never forget," West said. "I see things differently now."
TO BECOME A DONOR
Colorado is a first-person consent state, meaning that once a citizen registers a decision to donate, no one can override that decision. Donor Alliance offers three ways to register.
• Say yes to donation when renewing a driver's license at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Visit the nonprofit's Web site at coloradodonorregistry.org.
• Request a donor form from Donor Alliance by calling 303-329-4747.
10-year-old girl thrives on gift of life
Child, mother remember organ donor who saved girl's life at 4 years old
By Jennifer Gilbert write the author
November 01, 2007
Consuelo West of Lakewood has a hard time not spoiling her daughter, Alicia Valdez
Alicia Valdez and her mother Consuelo West are strong advocates for organ and tissue donation. Valdez received a liver transplant when she was four years old from a 16-year-old boy who died in a car accident.
It was not always so difficult to say no to her 10-year-old daughter, but five years ago West faced losing her only child.
Valdez became gravely ill, and doctors could not find what was wrong with her. A virus had attacked her system, draining her body of fluids, lowering her blood sugar and eventually causing liver failure.
She was one of three pediatric patients waiting for a liver at the Children's Hospital, and she remained on the list for seven long days.
"I had a lot of different emotions," West said. "I don't think I had time to register it all."
All three patients waiting for liver donations received them while West was in the hospital, but Valdez was the only one who survived.
Valdez remained in the hospital for six weeks while doctors made sure her body accepted the donated liver.
"They still couldn't prepare me for what I saw," West said when her daughter was about to go in for surgery. "She was completely strapped down, both arms, both legs. It was very hard. She was trying to mouth 'mommy' at me, but she couldn't because of the tube in her throat. I had to walk away."
Valdez received a portion of a liver from a 16-year-old who had died in a car accident. His nickname was Bubba, and he saved four other lives that day with another portion of his liver, his heart, kidneys and his lungs.
Donor Alliance, the organ donation organization serving Colorado and most of Wyoming, said one donor could save eight lives with organ donation and an additional 100 lives with tissue donation. As of Oct. 19, there were 1,774 people in Colorado waiting for an organ donation. Children accounted for 33 of them. Usable organs include the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, lungs and the small intestine. Tissue donations can go to many compatible matches waiting for life-saving assistance.
"Colorado has one of the highest donation rates in the country," said Jennifer Moe, spokeswoman for Donor Alliance. "More than 60 percent say yes to donation. … That's in the top 5 percent in the country."
The United Network for Organ Sharing regulates donations, and recipients receive priority based on the urgency of need, compatibility of the donor and recipient, and blood type.
West had played the waiting game before with her own father. He had been diagnosed with cancer and had been waiting for a liver, but his name never reached the top of the list. He was removed because the cancer spread too far.
He died shortly after Valdez recovered.
"I honestly couldn't believe when I heard Alicia needed a liver transplant," West said. "At that time, we knew dad couldn't get a transplant. It was hard. I think he waited to make sure she was OK."
Valdez remembers very little of her time in the hospital. She was 4 at the time, but she remembers the nurses, the clowns and the necklaces she made.
She also remembers considering possibilities most children never have to take into account.
"I was thinking I might not make it," Valdez said. "I think about it, that I am really lucky I got one. I'm not one of the kids who's still on the list."
She now loves playing basketball, one of Bubba's favorite sports. Bubba also collected pennies, and every time Valdez sees one, she thinks of the boy who saved her life.
Valdez and West got the opportunity to meet Bubba's grandmother, the woman who raised him, last year. They gathered at Chuck E. Cheese, and West visited with the grandmother while Valdez and the other grandchild played together.
Bubba's grandfather had died the year before his life ended, so the grandmother had been alone after his accident. West said that it was a difficult decision for the grandmother to donate Bubba's organs, but the grandmother was happy to meet the girl who her grandson's death had helped.
"When she received my letter, she felt her son didn't die in vain," West said. "There is actually a part of him living through Alicia. I think of her all the time."
There were nearly 98,000 people waiting for organs nationally as of Oct. 29, and 18 people a day die waiting for a transplant. About 500,000 people donate organ and tissue every year, Moe said.
Donor Alliance spends much of its time educating the public on organ and tissue donation, helping eliminate myths that someone cannot give because of age or health. Individual cases are judged at the time of death.
Moe added that a person must be proclaimed legally brain dead and be a registered donor to have his or her organs used, and they also must die in a hospital. Tissue donations can be taken from registered donors who die outside of a hospital setting.
"Anybody who works in this industry is passionate about helping people," Moe said. "We care about the wonderful people we get to meet and the lives organ and tissue donation save."
West considers that generosity regularly and is herself a registered donor. Simple, everyday activities are not so mundane for the mother.
She remembers sitting in the hospital room, wishing she could be home making her daughter breakfast, driving her to school, even be in rush hour on her way to work.
"This is something I will never forget," West said. "I see things differently now."
TO BECOME A DONOR
Colorado is a first-person consent state, meaning that once a citizen registers a decision to donate, no one can override that decision. Donor Alliance offers three ways to register.
• Say yes to donation when renewing a driver's license at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Visit the nonprofit's Web site at coloradodonorregistry.org.
• Request a donor form from Donor Alliance by calling 303-329-4747.
Salmond to back opt-out organ donations in health shake-up
Salmond to back opt-out organ donations in health shake-up
By Paul Hutcheon
FIRST MINISTER Alex Salmond is to offer his personal support to an "opt-out" system for organ donation in a bid to tackle Scotland's organ crisis.
The SNP leader has been persuaded by calls to introduce a system of "presumed consent", by which organs are automatically taken unless an individual has declined to participate in the scheme before death.
His backing ensures that both he and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, are among the most senior ministers in the UK to support a change in the law. Donor organs are required by around 800 people in Scotland, many of whom will die without receiving a transplant. A recent BMA survey found that nearly three-quarters of Scots supported a system of "presumed consent", a 10% jump in support since the most recent BMA survey on the issue in 2004. Health secretary Sturgeon earlier this week announced her support for the radical change. Her party will debate the issue today at its conference in Aviemore, where an "opt-out" proposal will be voted on by delegates. Now Salmond, like his deputy, has made clear his support for the principle of presumed consent. A spokesman for the first minister said: "Alex Salmond will lend his personal support to an opt-out system of organ donation. "Any system pursued by the Scottish government will also have to include significant safeguards." George Foulkes, a Labour MSP who supports presumed consent, welcomed Salmond's stance. He said: "The SNP has acknowledged the need for the same system of organ donation both north and south of the Border. "If Alex and Nicola are backing an opt-out system, this would be a significant pressure on the UK government." A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland said: "We have long been calling for a move to a system of presumed consent. So we are really pleased that the Scottish Government is recognising that there is support out there and we can have a public debate on the issue." Dr Keith Prowse, chairman of the British Lung Foundation, said: "We welcome any move that could mean more lungs are available for transplant as this would save a substantial number of lives, especially among children and young adults with conditions like cystic fibrosis." Meanwhile, Sturgeon yesterday promised to slash prescription charges next year as a first step towards abolishing the so-called "ill-health tax". The deputy first minister will cut the £6.85 charge within months as a way of marking the 60th anniversary of the NHS. She said: "In April next year we will take the first step towards the abolition of prescription charges. And we will abolish them all within the lifetime of this parliament." Sturgeon added that a reduction would be a good way of marking the NHS's anniversary. "What better way to celebrate the NHS than by returning it to its founding principle of healthcare, free at the point of need? That was the principle espoused and defended." She also announced plans to reduce waiting times for every patient within two years. The SNP government has pledged to deliver a guaranteed maximum wait of 18 weeks by the end of 2011, a policy Sturgeon said will be staged. She said: "By March 2009, the current waiting time target of 36 weeks will be cut to a maximum of 30 weeks." Scottish Labour's business manager Jackie Baillie said of the SNP's conference: "The SNP have boasted of 1000 delegates attending their conference. People across Scotland would much rather hear when we will get the 1000 extra police they promised."
By Paul Hutcheon
FIRST MINISTER Alex Salmond is to offer his personal support to an "opt-out" system for organ donation in a bid to tackle Scotland's organ crisis.
The SNP leader has been persuaded by calls to introduce a system of "presumed consent", by which organs are automatically taken unless an individual has declined to participate in the scheme before death.
His backing ensures that both he and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, are among the most senior ministers in the UK to support a change in the law. Donor organs are required by around 800 people in Scotland, many of whom will die without receiving a transplant. A recent BMA survey found that nearly three-quarters of Scots supported a system of "presumed consent", a 10% jump in support since the most recent BMA survey on the issue in 2004. Health secretary Sturgeon earlier this week announced her support for the radical change. Her party will debate the issue today at its conference in Aviemore, where an "opt-out" proposal will be voted on by delegates. Now Salmond, like his deputy, has made clear his support for the principle of presumed consent. A spokesman for the first minister said: "Alex Salmond will lend his personal support to an opt-out system of organ donation. "Any system pursued by the Scottish government will also have to include significant safeguards." George Foulkes, a Labour MSP who supports presumed consent, welcomed Salmond's stance. He said: "The SNP has acknowledged the need for the same system of organ donation both north and south of the Border. "If Alex and Nicola are backing an opt-out system, this would be a significant pressure on the UK government." A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland said: "We have long been calling for a move to a system of presumed consent. So we are really pleased that the Scottish Government is recognising that there is support out there and we can have a public debate on the issue." Dr Keith Prowse, chairman of the British Lung Foundation, said: "We welcome any move that could mean more lungs are available for transplant as this would save a substantial number of lives, especially among children and young adults with conditions like cystic fibrosis." Meanwhile, Sturgeon yesterday promised to slash prescription charges next year as a first step towards abolishing the so-called "ill-health tax". The deputy first minister will cut the £6.85 charge within months as a way of marking the 60th anniversary of the NHS. She said: "In April next year we will take the first step towards the abolition of prescription charges. And we will abolish them all within the lifetime of this parliament." Sturgeon added that a reduction would be a good way of marking the NHS's anniversary. "What better way to celebrate the NHS than by returning it to its founding principle of healthcare, free at the point of need? That was the principle espoused and defended." She also announced plans to reduce waiting times for every patient within two years. The SNP government has pledged to deliver a guaranteed maximum wait of 18 weeks by the end of 2011, a policy Sturgeon said will be staged. She said: "By March 2009, the current waiting time target of 36 weeks will be cut to a maximum of 30 weeks." Scottish Labour's business manager Jackie Baillie said of the SNP's conference: "The SNP have boasted of 1000 delegates attending their conference. People across Scotland would much rather hear when we will get the 1000 extra police they promised."
City doctors set record for organ transplants
City doctors set record for organ transplants
Surgical teams perform 10 major operations within 24 hours
Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 01, 2007
Surgeons and medical staff in Vancouver celebrated a provincial first this month, performing a record number of life-saving organ transplants within a 24-hour period Oct. 23 and 24.
Ten major organ transplants were successfully undertaken by surgical teams of more than 100 people working around the clock at Vancouver General Hospital.
The surgeries included four kidney transplants, two double lung transplants, and three liver transplants.
Email to a friend
Printer friendly
Font:****At the same time, another kidney transplant was performed at St. Paul's Hospital.
Normally, VGH, the centre for transplant surgery in the province, carries out nine to 12 such operations over a month.
On Wednesday, a public celebration marked the occasion.
Anne Sutherland Boal, a senior official with Vancouver Coastal Health, said the number of surgeries is a provincial record and "could stand as a Canadian record as well."
Eight surgeries were made possible by the donations of major organs from two anonymous donors, whose deaths provided four kidneys, two livers and four lungs. The three other surgeries -- including two kidney transplants and a liver transplant -- were made possible through living donors.
Doctors said all the recipients were doing "very well."
Twenty-three-year-old Eva Markvoort of New Westminster was among the recipients.
dahansen@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
Surgical teams perform 10 major operations within 24 hours
Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 01, 2007
Surgeons and medical staff in Vancouver celebrated a provincial first this month, performing a record number of life-saving organ transplants within a 24-hour period Oct. 23 and 24.
Ten major organ transplants were successfully undertaken by surgical teams of more than 100 people working around the clock at Vancouver General Hospital.
The surgeries included four kidney transplants, two double lung transplants, and three liver transplants.
Email to a friend
Printer friendly
Font:****At the same time, another kidney transplant was performed at St. Paul's Hospital.
Normally, VGH, the centre for transplant surgery in the province, carries out nine to 12 such operations over a month.
On Wednesday, a public celebration marked the occasion.
Anne Sutherland Boal, a senior official with Vancouver Coastal Health, said the number of surgeries is a provincial record and "could stand as a Canadian record as well."
Eight surgeries were made possible by the donations of major organs from two anonymous donors, whose deaths provided four kidneys, two livers and four lungs. The three other surgeries -- including two kidney transplants and a liver transplant -- were made possible through living donors.
Doctors said all the recipients were doing "very well."
Twenty-three-year-old Eva Markvoort of New Westminster was among the recipients.
dahansen@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Robert Goulet dies waiting for an organ transplant
Conservative Book Club / Human Events
Robert Goulet dies waiting for an organ transplant - needlessly
By tankertodd Posted in Life Issues — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I don't know the details of Robert Goulet's condition but when I read the headline that he died waiting for a lung transplant I assume the worst - his death could have been prevented if a donor lung was available. More...
Given that assumption I think it's worthwhile to remind folks how ridiculous our organ transplant system is in this country. It's in desperate need for reform. Donors are not allowed to be paid, which flies in the face of basic free markets. Heck, efforts to create a quid pro quo network of organ donors are frowned upon by the medical establishment. (These networks work like this: people sign up and indicate that they will allow their organs to be donated to anyone in the network. Conversely, if they need an organ, they can go to the network instead of the government donor list.)
Remember that this is the medical establishment that brought you our insanely expensive system. The same system that can't seem to manage the most basic of system reforms wants to keep you from getting organs in a better way.
The irony is that when markets are not free, they find a way to become free. Hence the burgeoning trade in transplants in China, where doctors, shall we say, have fewer constraints. If Robert Goulet had the option to get a Chinese lung and turned it down to wait his turn on the list, then kudos to him for doing the right(?) thing.
Robert Goulet dies waiting for an organ transplant - needlessly
By tankertodd Posted in Life Issues — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I don't know the details of Robert Goulet's condition but when I read the headline that he died waiting for a lung transplant I assume the worst - his death could have been prevented if a donor lung was available. More...
Given that assumption I think it's worthwhile to remind folks how ridiculous our organ transplant system is in this country. It's in desperate need for reform. Donors are not allowed to be paid, which flies in the face of basic free markets. Heck, efforts to create a quid pro quo network of organ donors are frowned upon by the medical establishment. (These networks work like this: people sign up and indicate that they will allow their organs to be donated to anyone in the network. Conversely, if they need an organ, they can go to the network instead of the government donor list.)
Remember that this is the medical establishment that brought you our insanely expensive system. The same system that can't seem to manage the most basic of system reforms wants to keep you from getting organs in a better way.
The irony is that when markets are not free, they find a way to become free. Hence the burgeoning trade in transplants in China, where doctors, shall we say, have fewer constraints. If Robert Goulet had the option to get a Chinese lung and turned it down to wait his turn on the list, then kudos to him for doing the right(?) thing.
UPMC to try ER donor organ idea
UPMC to try ER donor organ idea
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
By Joe Fahy and David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
UPMC Presbyterian is developing a program aimed at obtaining donor organs from emergency-room patients who cannot be revived.
Dr. Michael DeVita, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine professor of critical care and internal medicine, yesterday said he knew of no similar U.S. program operating, though some had been attempted elsewhere.
The program, to be called Condition T, could be in place by next summer, he said after a news conference.
Under Condition T, when efforts to revive patients fail, doctors would contact the local organ recovery organization, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, to determine whether the patient was a registered donor. If so, family members would be notified, he said, and a team separate from the professionals that attempted to resuscitate the patient would be summoned to recover the organs.
Initially at least, plans call for recovering livers and kidneys, the organs that have the longest waiting lists nationally.
Pitt doctors estimate that an additional 40 kidneys and 20 livers could be recovered annually.
Transplant experts in Michigan are working with Pitt to determine whether the program can be replicated, Dr. DeVita said.
Pitt doctors obtained a nearly $1 million, three-year grant for the local program from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees transplant programs.
The initiative will focus on patients who suffer cardiac deaths, which occur when the heart, circulatory and respiratory systems cease to function.
The vast majority of organs now come from hospitalized donors who have suffered brain death -- that is, they were pronounced dead when meaningful brain activity ceased, the Institute of Medicine noted in a report last year.
But far more people in the United States are pronounced dead each year when their hearts stops beating, and they offer "a largely untapped source of potential organ donations," the institute said.
The group urged action on the plan but said a number of ethical and practical issues remained, such as how best to work with family members whose loved one has just died unexpectedly.
"Obviously, the organ donor shortage needs to be addressed in every way possible," said Dr. James Burdick, director of transplantation for the Health Resources and Services Administration.
More than 90,000 people are on waiting lists for organ transplants.
In 2003, the federal agency began a nationwide effort, known as the Breakthrough Collaborative, to challenge medical centers to find ways to increase organ donation. Concerns have been raised, however, that the efforts have been too aggressive in some cases.
Dr. Arthur Caplan, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania's department of medical ethics, said Pitt's plan to separate patient care from organ procurement in its new initiative is "a great idea" but does not resolve all issues.
In any emergency room, family members hoping for good news likely will protest when told that their loved one's organs are being removed, Dr. Caplan said. And while Pittsburgh has personnel trained in organ removal, he said other communities without trained personnel won't be able to adopt such a program.
People also might question the medical center's ability to keep emergency room and transplant personnel separate, he said.
First published on October 31, 2007 at 12:00 am
Joe Fahy can be reached at jfahy@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1722. David Templeton can be reached at dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
By Joe Fahy and David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
UPMC Presbyterian is developing a program aimed at obtaining donor organs from emergency-room patients who cannot be revived.
Dr. Michael DeVita, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine professor of critical care and internal medicine, yesterday said he knew of no similar U.S. program operating, though some had been attempted elsewhere.
The program, to be called Condition T, could be in place by next summer, he said after a news conference.
Under Condition T, when efforts to revive patients fail, doctors would contact the local organ recovery organization, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, to determine whether the patient was a registered donor. If so, family members would be notified, he said, and a team separate from the professionals that attempted to resuscitate the patient would be summoned to recover the organs.
Initially at least, plans call for recovering livers and kidneys, the organs that have the longest waiting lists nationally.
Pitt doctors estimate that an additional 40 kidneys and 20 livers could be recovered annually.
Transplant experts in Michigan are working with Pitt to determine whether the program can be replicated, Dr. DeVita said.
Pitt doctors obtained a nearly $1 million, three-year grant for the local program from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees transplant programs.
The initiative will focus on patients who suffer cardiac deaths, which occur when the heart, circulatory and respiratory systems cease to function.
The vast majority of organs now come from hospitalized donors who have suffered brain death -- that is, they were pronounced dead when meaningful brain activity ceased, the Institute of Medicine noted in a report last year.
But far more people in the United States are pronounced dead each year when their hearts stops beating, and they offer "a largely untapped source of potential organ donations," the institute said.
The group urged action on the plan but said a number of ethical and practical issues remained, such as how best to work with family members whose loved one has just died unexpectedly.
"Obviously, the organ donor shortage needs to be addressed in every way possible," said Dr. James Burdick, director of transplantation for the Health Resources and Services Administration.
More than 90,000 people are on waiting lists for organ transplants.
In 2003, the federal agency began a nationwide effort, known as the Breakthrough Collaborative, to challenge medical centers to find ways to increase organ donation. Concerns have been raised, however, that the efforts have been too aggressive in some cases.
Dr. Arthur Caplan, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania's department of medical ethics, said Pitt's plan to separate patient care from organ procurement in its new initiative is "a great idea" but does not resolve all issues.
In any emergency room, family members hoping for good news likely will protest when told that their loved one's organs are being removed, Dr. Caplan said. And while Pittsburgh has personnel trained in organ removal, he said other communities without trained personnel won't be able to adopt such a program.
People also might question the medical center's ability to keep emergency room and transplant personnel separate, he said.
First published on October 31, 2007 at 12:00 am
Joe Fahy can be reached at jfahy@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1722. David Templeton can be reached at dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Reimbursement of Expenditures for Living Donations
Memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
Trillium Gift of Life Network received the following memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on September 26, 2007 with more details on the Organ Donation Strategy - Reimbursement of Expenditures for Living Organ Donors.
We will continue to provide more information as it comes available on this website.
September 26, 2007
Memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
On August 3, 2007 as part of the Organ Donation Strategy, the Premier announced the establishment of a fund to reimburse living organ donors up to a maximum amount of $5,500 for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with the donation. While this program is expected to commence in early 2008, the ministry is prepared to consider reimbursement of eligible, reasonable, actual expenditures for living organ donors incurred on or after the Premier's August 3, 2007 announcement, in accordance with soon to be established program policies.
At present, the ministry is working on the operational design of this fund including eligibility criteria and program policies and procedures. The fund is to be modeled after the Living Organ Donor Expense Reimbursement Program in British Columbia. The type of costs that are being considered for reimbursement include travel, accommodation, meals as well as a loss of income subsidy. Receipts will be mandatory. As this fund will be one of last resort, all other sources of funding (e.g. Northern Health Travel Grant, Employment Insurance, benefits available through the employer) must be considered and utilized before reimbursement for expense and loss of income is requested by the claimant.
In the interim, given the government's intent to retroactively reimburse living organ donors for incurred expenses as of August 3, 2007, we are requesting transplant programs to advise potential living donors about this fund and to retain all receipts for costs incurred associated with the living donation. Also, we would appreciate if transplant programs can maintain a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of potential living donors undergoing assessments in their respective programs so that Trillium Gift of Life Network can contact these individuals to submit an application for expense reimbursement as soon as the program is operational.
Detailed information on the fund, including eligibility criteria and program policies will be communicated as soon as they are ready. Thank you for your continued commitment to organ donation and transplantation and the enhancement of support to living organ donors.
Trillium Gift of Life Network received the following memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on September 26, 2007 with more details on the Organ Donation Strategy - Reimbursement of Expenditures for Living Organ Donors.
We will continue to provide more information as it comes available on this website.
September 26, 2007
Memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
On August 3, 2007 as part of the Organ Donation Strategy, the Premier announced the establishment of a fund to reimburse living organ donors up to a maximum amount of $5,500 for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with the donation. While this program is expected to commence in early 2008, the ministry is prepared to consider reimbursement of eligible, reasonable, actual expenditures for living organ donors incurred on or after the Premier's August 3, 2007 announcement, in accordance with soon to be established program policies.
At present, the ministry is working on the operational design of this fund including eligibility criteria and program policies and procedures. The fund is to be modeled after the Living Organ Donor Expense Reimbursement Program in British Columbia. The type of costs that are being considered for reimbursement include travel, accommodation, meals as well as a loss of income subsidy. Receipts will be mandatory. As this fund will be one of last resort, all other sources of funding (e.g. Northern Health Travel Grant, Employment Insurance, benefits available through the employer) must be considered and utilized before reimbursement for expense and loss of income is requested by the claimant.
In the interim, given the government's intent to retroactively reimburse living organ donors for incurred expenses as of August 3, 2007, we are requesting transplant programs to advise potential living donors about this fund and to retain all receipts for costs incurred associated with the living donation. Also, we would appreciate if transplant programs can maintain a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of potential living donors undergoing assessments in their respective programs so that Trillium Gift of Life Network can contact these individuals to submit an application for expense reimbursement as soon as the program is operational.
Detailed information on the fund, including eligibility criteria and program policies will be communicated as soon as they are ready. Thank you for your continued commitment to organ donation and transplantation and the enhancement of support to living organ donors.
Hospitals honored for organ donations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is honoring St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, Wishard Health Services, Riley Hospital for Children and Indiana University Hospital of Indianapolis for their success in increasing organ donation rates.
The hospitals received the department's Medal of Honor for Organ Donation for achieving and sustaining a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors.
"We are pleased and proud to see the incredible progress of our nation's hospitals in increasing donation rates," said Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, in a prepared statement.
Her unit includes the federal government's organ donation activities. "In just four years, the number of hospitals that have achieved the 75 percent rate has soared from 55 to 392 -- a remarkable accomplishment," she said.
The hospitals received the department's Medal of Honor for Organ Donation for achieving and sustaining a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors.
"We are pleased and proud to see the incredible progress of our nation's hospitals in increasing donation rates," said Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, in a prepared statement.
Her unit includes the federal government's organ donation activities. "In just four years, the number of hospitals that have achieved the 75 percent rate has soared from 55 to 392 -- a remarkable accomplishment," she said.
No shortage of organ donors in Lee ...By Jennifer Booth Reed
Jacob Wiles, 7, was able to live thanks to an organ donor. Two Lee County hospitals are good enough at securing organs for donation to have earned national recognition.
Today, Jacob is a rambunctious 7-year-old who shows no signs of ever having been sick.
"He's done great," Diane Wiles said.
Jacob was one of the lucky ones. Approximately 97,000 people in the United States are waiting for a new organ. An average of 17 a day will die without ever having received the lifesaving operation.
And that's where hospital doctors and nurses can make all the difference.
Earlier this month, two Lee County hospitals were recognized in a pack of national leaders in identifying organ donors. Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center and Cape Coral Hospital achieved the national goal for organ donations: 75 percent or more eligible donors gave their organs after their death. Consent for such a gift can come from family members or the patients themselves if they are registered donors and have made their wishes known.
The accomplishment culminates a delicate balance of talking to grieving family members, notifying LifeLink, the region's organ recovery program, and then beginning the complicated work of keeping a patient's body functioning until specialized teams of surgeons can remove organs and tissues and rush them to other people who need them. The patients are brain dead, but hooked to machines that keep their organs functioning until the surgeons are ready to recover them.
"The enthusiasm they have toward saving other people's lives is commendable," Elaine Maki, a registered nurse and the local coordinator for LifeLink, said of area doctors and hospital staff. "We are doing awesome down here."
Cape Coral and Southwest Regional may have achieved national distinction, but they aren't the only local hospitals doing well. Maki said Lee Memorial Hospital has seen 17 donors in the past year whose gifts have helped some 60 people. The national distinction goes off of a percentage, however, not actual numbers, meaning Lee Memorial didn't get the award even though 18 donors is considered to be a very good figure, Maki said.
All told, Lee Memorial's five hospitals have yielded 30 donors so far this year.
One donor can save eight lives, LifeLink spokeswoman Jennifer Krouse said. If the donor also gives tissues, corneas and other organs, the number of recipients can grow to 60, according to Maki.
"It's no accident this happened," said Cindy Boily, the chief patient care officer at Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center. "There's a lot of work that goes into it."
She said hospital staffers are well aware of the need for organ donations. Southwest, in fact, is a well-known kidney transplant center.
Dr. Lawrence Antonucci, the chief administrative officer of Cape Coral Hospital learned recently that his hospital had achieved the 75 percent mark.
"You can imagine what a difficult time this is for families, and for them to be able to come in and talk to the families and see the success, it just really benefits everybody," Antonucci said. "It was really exciting news."
The federal government began the push for organ donors in 2003. At that time, there were 83,000 waiting for lifesaving transplants, and fewer than half of the eligible donors had registered as organ donors or had family members who agreed to the procedure.
In 2006, there were about 8,000 donors nationally — an increase of about 1,400 since 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Knowing the benefits of organ donation brings solace to Sherry Plisch of North Fort Myers.
On Dec. 12, 1994, her son Jesse shot himself. He was 15 and had endured the bullying of classmates who teased him about his minor disabilities.
"In our situation, it was like the gift of hope had just been given to us," said Plisch. "It was a way of him living on."
Jesse's liver was split between a graduate student and a 2-year-old boy; his heart and lungs went to a young man; one kidney went to a father of young children; the other kidney and pancreas went to a man named Sam who wanted to meet Plisch and her husband. He had been corresponding with the family, wanting to know about the teenager who had saved his life.
He pulled up in a big red pickup. The man told the Plisches that he didn't know what drew him to the truck on the lot, but after buying it, he re-read some letters Plisch had sent and realized the Plisches had told him about Jesse's dream of owning a red pickup.
The license plate read "Jesse's Dream."
"It's the ultimate act of love and sharing," Plisch said
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