Organ Donation News and Research

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Surgeons test new device that keeps the liver warm and circulates blood during transport

Since the first liver transplant in 1963, donated livers have been immersed in an icy cold fluid in a cold storage system for transport, similar in principle to ice chests used for picnics and trips to the beach.

25 Aug 2018

If you’ve got hep C, spitting can be a felony

Last week, an Ohio man who has the hepatitis C virus was sentenced to 18 months in prison for spitting at Cleveland police and medics.

19 Jun 2018

Data-driven tool defines risk stages for children with chronic kidney disease

Experts in pediatric kidney disease have published a new staging system to help doctors better predict the length of time until a child with chronic kidney disease (CKD) will need to undergo a kidney transplant or start receiving dialysis. Although this type of prognostic guide exists for adults, this is the first such tool specific to children.

10 Apr 2018

Study provides insight into neurobiology of dying

A new Annals of Neurology study provides insight into the neurobiology of dying. For the study, investigators performed continuous patient monitoring following Do Not Resuscitate - Comfort Care orders in patients with devastating brain injury to investigate the mechanisms and timing of events in the brain and the circulation during the dying process.

23 Feb 2018

Researchers identify presence of ER gene fusion proteins in treatment-resistant breast cancer

At Magee-Womens Research Institute and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, a large team of clinical and laboratory researchers dedicated to understanding treatment resistance in the most common form of breast cancer have identified a new genetic change in the estrogen receptor that contributes to therapy resistance.

7 Feb 2018

NYU Langone Health introduces new lung transplant program

The Transplant Institute at NYU Langone Health has launched a new lung transplant program, the third program of its kind in the greater New York City area, expanding regional access to this specialized level of care.

30 Jan 2018

Parent misconceptions about child organ donation may complicate the process

Children in need of an organ transplant often wait longer than adults for available organs, as in many cases, they require organ donations from another child of a similar age or size.

23 Jan 2018

Brief educational video can positively impact individuals' willingness to become face transplant donor

After watching a brief educational video, members of the public are more likely to say they would be willing to donate a facial transplant to a severely disfigured patient, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

3 Jan 2018

Study finds improvements in survivals rates of individuals with kidney failure

Individuals with kidney failure have a much higher risk of dying prematurely than people in the general population, but a new analysis indicates that this excess risk is falling.

15 Dec 2017

NYU Langone Health launches new heart transplant program

The Transplant Institute at NYU Langone Health has launched a new heart transplant program-;the first new program of its kind in New York State in more than 15 years.

11 Dec 2017

Families stop donation of organs from deceased relatives who are registered donors

Hundreds of families across England block the donation of organs from deceased relatives, despite the deceased having chosen to sign the Organ Donation Register.

19 Oct 2017

Donor organs labeled as increased risk less likely to be used by transplant patients

Increasingly, transplant surgeons must initiate a tough conversation: explaining to patients what it means to accept an organ from a person who died from a drug overdose.

5 Oct 2017

Organ donation up by more than half in Ontario since Canada introduced new policy

Since Canada introduced a new organ donation policy in 2006 called “circulatory determination of death” (DCD), Ontario has seen a 57% increase in donation, according to a new study.

25 Sep 2017

Researchers develop potential stem cell treatment for several lung conditions

A team of scientists from the UNC School of Medicine and North Carolina State University has developed promising research towards a possible stem cell treatment for several lung conditions, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis -- often-fatal conditions that affect tens of millions of Americans.

3 Aug 2017

Youngest person in U.S. receives full face transplant by Cleveland Clinic team

A team of surgeons and doctors at the Cleveland Clinic made history after operating upon a 21 year old woman for 31 hours to give her a full face transplant. The operation held in May this year was a successful one with the woman receiving a completely new face from a donor.

18 Jul 2017

Researchers aim to develop machine-learning method to better predict risks of organ donation

Organ transplants are a game of odds. Success depends on a number of factors: how old and how healthy the donor is, how old and how healthy the recipient is, how good a biological match can be found, how ready the patient is to receive it.

24 Apr 2017

High-donor-volume hospitals more likely to have improved OTPD rate than low-volume medical centers

Hospitals that manage the highest volume of deceased organ donors are 52 percent more likely to recover an above-average number of transplantable organs per donor compared with low-volume hospitals, according to results from a new study conducted across three U.S. donation regions.

19 Jan 2017

New article highlights success of Spanish system in deceased organ donation

Spain is leading the world in deceased organ donation. A new article published in the American Journal of Transplantation contains important information that can help other countries learn from the success of the Spanish system to help address the worldwide problem of transplant organ shortages.

9 Jan 2017

First-in-human study of cell bandage for common sporting knee injury shows promising results

A 'living bandage' made from stem cells, which could revolutionise the treatment and prognosis of a common sporting knee injury, has been trialled in humans for the first time by scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Bristol.

17 Dec 2016

BloodTrack Emerge: A new technology that provides access to life-saving products during trauma

The Medical Center of Plano (MCP) is the first hospital in Texas to use innovative technology, BloodTrack Emerge, which acts as a vending machine for blood products in the emergency department.

1 Nov 2016