Organ Donation News and Research

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Organ donation saves lives

A record number of Ontarians donated organs and tissues in 2009. Investment from the provincial government, implementation of the Organ Donation Strategy, improvements in donation performance and increased public awareness of organ and tissue donation have resulted in more lives saved through transplantation.

23 Jan 2010

H1N1 flu vaccines and other resources for remaining healthy to be offered at Pennsylvania Farm Show

The Department of Health is offering free H1N1 flu vaccines and other resources for remaining healthy at its exhibit at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which runs through Jan. 16.

12 Jan 2010

Additional education to liver transplant candidates increases live donation and donor evaluation

A recent study found that living donation increased 42% and the number of individuals who presented for donation evaluation increased 74% at centers in New York. The surge in live donation and donor evaluation occurred after additional education was provided to liver transplant candidates.

8 Jan 2010

Organ donation gives a new life

Ten years ago, Dale Shippam got a new heart. It's taken him around the world, and, in the New Year, on a part of an Olympic journey across Canada.

31 Dec 2009

TGLN responds to CIHI report on organ donation

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) report that was issued this afternoon, understandably, takes a national perspective, and uses a conventional 10 year time frame.

23 Dec 2009

New CIHI study highlights that Canada needs to retrieve more organs for transplants

The availability of donated organs in Canada rose by more than one-quarter (28%) over the past decade, but this increase is not keeping pace with demand. More than 1,000 Canadians donated organs in 2008, up from 812 in 1999, according to a new study released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

23 Dec 2009

New York Times highlights shortfalls in transplant patient immunosuppressive drug coverage

Today's New York Times article by Kevin Sack, "Plan for Kidney Drugs Spurs Division," illustrates an internal renal community reimbursement debate that may result in kidney patients continuing to be deprived of their life-saving immunosuppressive medications beyond the current 36-month Medicare program limit.

16 Dec 2009

Study provides first direct evidence of cigarette smoke's role in cardiac allograft rejection

A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore provides the first direct evidence that cigarette smoke exposure prior to a heart transplant in either the donor, recipient, or both, accelerates the death of a transplanted heart.

25 Nov 2009

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital celebrates 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is celebrating the 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation. In 1984, the Hospital's surgeons performed the world's first successful heart transplant, giving the gift of life to a 4-year-old boy.

7 Nov 2009

AST assembles at Capitol Hill to support health care reform for kidney transplant recipients

As Congress wraps up work on health care reform, members of the American Society of Transplantation's (AST) Public Policy Committee arrived on Capitol Hill today to discuss the importance of supporting a health care provision that would ensure kidney transplant recipients continue to receive.

9 Oct 2009

AST urges Senate Finance Committee to adopt a health care provision for transplant drug extension

As the Senate Finance Committee prepares to vote on the amended health care reform package, members of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) arrived on Capitol Hill armed with a letter encouraging the Senate to adopt a health care provision that will extend Medicare's coverage of post-transplant drugs, which are critical to maintaining the health of the transplant patient. Immunosuppressive drugs are currently covered for a period of 36 months.

9 Oct 2009

New England Donor Registry launched by Donate Life

Donate Life New England, a joint project of two federally designated organ procurement organizations that serve New England, today announced that individuals can now – for the first time – enroll online in the New England Donor Registry at www.donatelifenewengland.org.

8 Oct 2009

Research study suggests possibility of safely expanding donor kidney pool by 10 to 15 percent

Kidneys recovered from deceased donors with acute renal failure (ARF) - once deemed unusable for transplant - appear to work just as well as kidneys transplanted from deceased donors who do not develop kidney problems prior to organ donation, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

3 Oct 2009

Lessons for America: comparing health systems across Europe

Forbes published a package of articles and opinion pieces called "Public Vs. Private Health Care," which compares health care systems across Europe.

4 Sep 2009

Reference guide to assist grievers during the first hours and days following a sudden and unexpected death

The number of immediate considerations following the death of loved one can be daunting, but the aftermath of an unexpected death can be especially traumatic for grievers. In partnership with the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Caring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program of the U. College of Nursing has released a reference guide to assist grievers during those first hours and days following a sudden and unexpected death.

29 Aug 2009

Uncontrolled NHBDs could help counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France

A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney transplants - a 10% increase in the transplantation rate - over 17 months.

28 Aug 2009

Hospital dramatically increases transplant donations by integrating bereavement and donor services

A UK hospital that combined its bereavement and donation services saw a forty-fold increase in tissue donations, such as corneas, in just five years, according to research in the August issue of Anaesthesia.

30 Jul 2009

Young binge drinker dies after he was refused a liver transplant

A 22 year old British man who was refused a liver transplant has died from cirrhosis of the liver after a binge-drinking habit which began when he was age 13.

22 Jul 2009

Economy squeezing access to health care

As unemployment rises, many Florida women are "turning to federally subsidized mammograms and pap smears, and county health officials are worried they could be overwhelmed," The Orlando Sentinel reports.

15 Jul 2009

Johns Hopkins leads first 16-patient, multicenter "domino donor" kidney transplant

Surgical teams at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit successfully completed the first eight-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant. The transplant involved eight donors - 3 men and 5 women along with eight organ recipients - 3 men and 5 women. "All Johns Hopkins patients are in good condition and are recovering as anticipated," according to Robert A. Montgomery, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center.

7 Jul 2009