A 16-Fold Increase in Organ Donation in a Hispanic Population

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings 2008-05, Vol.40 (4), p.1005-1007
• Main Authors: Saadé, M, Morales-Otero, L, Davis, J, Torres, E, González, Z, Santiago-Delpín, E.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cadaver; Clinical death. Palliative care. Organ gift and preservation; Culture; Education; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Medical sciences; Puerto Rico; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Time Factors; Tissue and Organ Procurement - legislation & jurisprudence; Tissue and Organ Procurement - statistics & numerical data; Tissue Donors - statistics & numerical data; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Transplantation - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2008.03.120

Abstract Organ transplantation as a substitute for diseased organs in end-stage organ failure has led to a worldwide increase in this treatment modality, but donation has not kept pace with the demand, despite scientific, social, and government efforts. For many years, Hispanic donation in Puerto Rico was meager and lagged behind major centers in North America and Europe. Studies signaled mostly cultural factors in this limited donation. We report a 16-fold increase in organ donation with the development of a formal procurement organization tailored to a local culture. Methods The 30-year, 1400-transplant experience of the Puerto Rico Transplant Center was divided in three periods: 1977 through 1893, the latter signaling the approval of a transplant law; 1984 through 1995, signaling the commencement of a formal organ procurement organization; and 1996 through 2006. The subset of 2001 to 2006 was used in an additional calculation against 1984 to 1995. Results The comparison of the mean deceased donors from 1984 to 1995 with 1998 to 2006 shows a 12-fold increase; and the last 6 years versus 1984 to 1995, a 16.8-fold increase. Conclusion Cultural and educational obstacles in a given country may be overridden by aggressive administrative and educational approaches and strategic planning tailored to local realities, with improvement in organ transplantation.