Tuesday facts: JA/Yes to Organ Donation

The use of Human organs for transplantation has steadily increased during the past decades.
Organ transplantation is now the most cost-effective treatment for end-stage renal failure. For end-stage failure of organs such as liver, lung and heart, it is the only available treatment.
The shortage of organs is a major factor affecting transplantation programmes.
Nearly 40 000 patients are now on waiting lists in Europe. In Norway the waiting lists as about 250 patients
These figures do not represent the true position. Because of the chronic shortage of organs, some transplant clinicians are extremely selective about the patients they put on the waiting list. Currently only those patients most likely to benefit will be even considered for transplantation.

The interchange of organs between EU member states is up to 20% of the total of organ transplants. Click on the links for facts from Euro Transplant and detailed figures given by Scandia Transplant.

First kidney transplantation took place in USA in 1954. In Norway 224 patients received one or more organs during the first 6 months of 2008. Some of the highlights in the transplantation timeline are shown here:(data from eurotransplant)

1954: First living donor kidney transplant (USA)
1963: First cadaveric donor kidney transplant (Belgium)
1963: First successful living donor kidney transplant (Norway)
1966: First pancreas/kidney transplant (USA)
1967: First heart transplant (South-Africa)
1967: First liver transplant (USA)
1981: First heart-lung transplant (USA)
1981: First heart transplant (Germany)
1983: First single-lung transplant (Canada)
1983: First heart-lung transplant (Germany)
1983: First Heart transplant (Norway)
1986: First double-lung transplant (USA)
1987: First intestine transplant (USA)
1987: First single-lung transplant (Austria)
1988: First split-liver transplant (USA)
1988: First split-liver transplant (Germany)
1989: First living donor liver transplant (USA)
1989: First intestine transplant (Austria)
1990: First living donor lung transplant (USA)
1990: First lung transplant (Norway)
1998: First combined Heart Kidney transplant (Norway)
1998: First combined Heart Lung Liver transplant (Norway)

All over the world we need to say JA/YES to Organ Donation.
A European Consensus Document of current status and strategies for improvement of organ donation, can be downloaded in Pdf format

Truls Zimmer (TX-pulm bilateral) has designed a logo which can be used as a background for your mobile phone. He has also (as I) put the logo into his own blog. By presenting the logo in your blog you show others your point of view to the challenge regarding organ shortage.

In addition you are free to fill in a Donor Card (my daughter called last week and told us that she now carries the card in her wallet) or
register your decision if that is the procedure in your own country.
However, most important wherever you are, is to talk to your family about your desire to donate organs and/or tissue if there is no longer hope for saving your own life. Your relatives will always be asked about your standpoint regarding your Gift for life. The figure can be downloaded as a poster here
Take a stand, show it to visiting bloggers and ask them to do the same.