There is a page on
Facebook that I follow and make sure that I go to on a daily basis called ‘Precious
Hearts’ (https://www.facebook.com/preciousheartspage?fref=ts). On Monday 7th January, I noticed a post which read “Did you know that
there are approximately 1,600 Australians whose lives are depending on a
transplant right now? Just one donor can save the lives of up to 10 people!”
Wow! This is a stunning amount, and I was curious
enough to see if I could find some more information about organ donation in Australia. There are so many statistics and so much
information available on the Government website http://www.donatelife.gov.au, so I have
taken what I feel are the most relevant and interesting to me as a parent of a
child who will one day be put on a transplant list to undergo a heart/double
lung transplant.
Did
you know?
* One
organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of 10 or more people
* Around
1600 people are on Australian organ transplant waiting lists
* The
Australian Government funds dedicated doctors and nurses in 73 hospitals to
work specifically on organ and tissue donation
* In
2011, 337 organ donors gave 1009 Australians a new chance in life
* Australia
is the world leader for successful transplant outcomes
* The
majority of Australians are generally willing to become organ donors (80% of
the population) and tissue donors (78% of the population); however, less than
2% of people who die in hospital will be eligible to donate their organs. Many more people can become eye and tissue
donors as tissues can be donated up to 24 hours after death, regardless of
where death occurred.
* Australia’s
family consent rate is low, with less than 60% of families giving consent for
organ and tissue donation to proceed; 44% of Australians do not know or are not
sure of the donation wishes of their loved ones; 92% of Australians that are
aware of their family members’ wishes indicate that they would uphold their wishes
* Every
family making the decision about whether to agree to a donation proceeding is
now able to receive dedicated support from DonateLife Donor Family Support
Coordinators, whether or not donation proceeds
 |
| Thank you to Traci from Precious Hearts for the use of this image, exact source unknown |
Each
one of us has the chance to save lives.
Of the approximately 1600 people on organ transplant waiting lists,
sadly many will die waiting for the gift of a heart, liver, kidney, lung or pancreas transplant.
We need to discover for ourselves,
the facts about organ donation and to make and register our own decisions about
donation and to make sure that we all know our family’s wishes as well. In Australia, our families will always be
asked to confirm our donation wishes before any donation can proceed. You can register as an Australian organ donor
by calling 1800 777 203, visiting a Medicare Service Centre, or your local GP
may also have registration forms. You
must be 16 years or older to register your organ donation decision. Many Australian’s may have previously
registered their decision elsewhere, perhaps on your driver’s licence, however
it is still extremely important that you register on the Australian Organ Donor
Register. It is the only national
register and details can be linked to your Medicare number.
Almost everyone can help others
through organ and tissue donation, and while your age and medical history will
be considered, you shouldn’t assume you’re too young, too old or not healthy
enough to become a donor. If you are a
member of a church, and you’re not sure if your religious belief’s support
organ donation, please talk to the leader of your Church to help you in your
decision making process.
Did you know that you can also
donate a kidney or part of your liver now, while you’re still alive? This is, however, usually restricted to those
wanting to transform the life of someone you know.
Less than 2% of people who die in
hospital will be able to donate their organs, so it is very important to
identify all potential donors and support their families whilst they make the
decisions about donation. Many more
people can become eye and tissue donors as tissues can still be donated up to
24 hours after death. The way a person
dies determines whether or not they are able to donate organs and tissues; a
person who has been declared brain dead and are being artificially ventilated
in hospital may be able to donate organs also.
Brain death occurs when blood circulation to the brain ceases and the
brain stops functioning and dies with no possibility of recovery. Tests are performed by two independent and
appropriately qualified senior doctors to establish that brain death has occurred.
Organ donation is less common
after a person’s heart has stopped beating, referred to as cardiac death; the circumstances
behind these deaths means there is usually no chance to discuss donation with
the person, leaving the decision to the family.
Letting your family know of your wishes regarding organ donation makes
it so much easier if they ever have to make this very difficult decision.
There is a lot of support
available for families having the make these hard decisions through the
Intensive Care Unit team caring for you as well as the DonateLife Agency Donor
Coordinator and Donor Family Support Coordinator. They will give your family as much support as
they need, both during and after the decision to donate, regardless of their
decision, and if the family wishes, they can be provided information on the
outcomes of the donation by the DonateLife Donor Coordinator, and they can also
receive information on how to write anonymously to the recipients. Families making this decision also have access
to free bereavement counselling.
More than 30, 000 Australians
have received organ transplants since 1965; over 900 organ transplant
operations are performed each year. Many
more tissue transplants/grafts are performed, of which about 1500 are corneal
transplants.
Australia
is the world leader for successful transplant outcomes, for both survival rates
of recipients and in the number of organs that are able to be transplanted from
each donor. Organ transplants
dramatically improve the lives of recipients, allowing them to lead active and
healthy lives where once this was not a possibility. Friends and family of recipients also see a
huge difference in their own lives, watching their loved ones free of the
constraints of their illnesses.
In
Australia, when a person is put on a transplant waiting list, it means they
have ‘end-stage organ failure’, and all other possible treatments have failed. Waiting times depend on whether or not there
is a suitable donated organ available, and the allocation of organs through the
waiting lists (there are waiting lists for each transplantable organ – heart,
lungs, kidney, liver and pancreas). A
person is usually on a waiting list from between six months and four years,
however if there is no suitable transplant available, it could be even longer.
Organs
are allocated to recipients in a process that is not based on race, religion,
gender, social status, disability or age (unless age is relevant to the organ
matching criteria); it is a fair, equitable and unbiased process. The waiting lists are managed by different
groups depending on the organ involved and the state or territory where the
recipient lives.
Allocation
is a complex process and there are extremely strict guidelines about the allocation of
organs and tissues in Australia, and these guidelines have been developed by
The Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) - Organ Transplantation from Deceased Donors: Consensus Statement
on Eligibility Criteria and Allocation Protocols.
Criteria for potential
organ transplant recipients include:
* How well the organs
match the person
* How long the person has
been waiting for a transplant
* How urgent the
transplant is
* Whether the organ can be
made available to the person in time
* Recipients must be
matched to organs such as heart, lungs, liver and pancreas by blood group, size
compatibility and urgency
* Kidneys are matched by
blood group and tissue compatibility through the computerised National Organ
Matching Service, which is administered by the Australian Red Cross Blood
Service.
Up until I started researching
organ donation in Australia, I was under the impression that having it on my
driver’s license would be enough. As
soon as I found out that I should be registered on the Australian Organ Donor
Register, I made a quick phone call and both Nigel and I were registered as
donors while I was still writing this blog.
I urge you all to do the same. It’s the difference between life and death
for many of us.
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