Renal failure, heart defect, Cancer, cystic fibrosis … Many pathologies require organ transplants. The decision of a transplant is taken on a case-by-case basis by the doctor when the treatments are no longer sufficient.
The milestone of 5,000 transplants crossed
In 2012, 5,023 transplants were performed against 4,945 in 2011. The symbolic bar of 5,000 transplants has been crossed! This is good news even if the needs are largely unmet. Last year, 16,000 patients were waiting for a transplant. Only less than a third of them were therefore able to benefit from this operation.
Organ donation is becoming more and more common. In 20 years the number of transplants has increased by 41%. The main organs transplanted last year are: kidney (3044), liver (1161), heart (397), lung (322), pancreas (72), heart-lung (20) and intestine (7).
The number of living donors to increase from 316 to 366 transplants in one year. The collection from brain-dead donors has also increased very slightly since 2011: 17 more, for a total of 1,589 donors in 2012.
The Biomedicine Agency specifies that the samples taken from people in a state of brain death concern several organs against only the kidneys or even the liver for people who died following a cardiac arrest. Another observation: the age of donors tends to increase slightly. It is 54.50 years 2012 against 53.60 years in 2011.
How to donate an organ?
“Once the decision to transplant is taken, the doctor registers the patient on the national transplant waiting list managed by Biomedicine Agency. Due to the shortage of organs to be transplanted, the wait can last for months, sometimes years. Whenever a graft is available, it is allocated in priority to patients who meet the emergency criteria defined in the allocation rules, “says the site. dondorganes.fr
If you want to be a donor after your death, it is best to tell your loved ones because they will make the final decision if necessary. It is important to know that the donor card has no legal value even if it indicates your commitment to the donation.
You can also donate during your lifetime mainly for the kidney. Donation of life accounted for 10.1% of kidney transplants in 2011. To donate an organ, you must be of legal age, voluntary and in good health. According to the bioethics law of July 7, 2011, a family member can be a donor (parents, grandparents, brother and sisters, first cousins …) but also the spouse or any person who can provide proof of a close emotional bond. or living together with the recipient for at least two years.
