Study: Transplants from living donors have better survival rates, shorter wait times
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.com'Presumed consent' policy may reduce living kidney donors
Seeded on Sun Nov 28, 2010 12:31 PM EST (msnbc.com)
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This article is pretty muddled. What is the total number of kidney transplants from both living and recently deceased donors? If the increased number of transplants from recently deceased more than makes up for the loss of transplants from living people, then the issue of reduced living transplants is not as serious.
Agreed Ra3y. I read this article and came back with more questions than it provided answers. By providing more donor kidneys we will see more transplants available. People who are willing to be a living donor may chose to wait to see if thier loved one can find a match from a deceased donor first, but that is what they all ready do. I am not sure I see a significant enough cause and effect to make the case that is implied here.
Ra3y,
that is part of what they are talking about, at least as I undertsood it. Yes it was muddled, but if I understand correctly, presumed consent is not really bridging the gap in the countries that have it. I may be misunderstanding it but where there is presumed consent, the population is assuming the needs are met by the presumed consent. The transplant rates were almost the same for both types of consent, so presumed consent is not really improving the availability of transplant organs.
Both of my daughters are listed as organ donors on their driver licenses. As a recent sufferer of chronic kidney disease it's comforting to know that if the need arose one or the other could donate a kidney to me. I'm sure they would do this.
On the other hand, I'm stymied by the fact that if one of them were killed (God forbid!) in an accident of some sort, I would not necessarily be eligible to receive their liver, or lungs, which I also need (probably more than the kidney!). Seems to be an interesting dichotomy.
Ech.. presumed consent. Thank goodness it's not in U.S. It's a pretty big presumption in my opinion.
I totally agree Tera. No way.
I'm a registered donor whose husband is alive because of a kidney/pancreas transplant.
I do not, however, support presumed or implied consent policies. The notion that the government or medical profession can do whatever THEY want with a patient's body is atrocious.
Your story about ‘Presumed Consent’ and Organ Donation highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations.
There are now over 108,000 people on the National Transplant Waiting List, with over 50% of these people dying before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate 20,000 transplantable organs every year.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage – give donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has over 14,200 members at this writing.
Please contact me - Dave Undis, Executive Director of LifeSharers - if your viewers would like to learn more about our innovative approach to increasing the number of organ donors. I can arrange interviews with some of our local members if you're interested. My email address is daveundis@lifesharers.org. My phone number is 615-351-8622.