The number of people waiting for a lung transplant in 5 years grew by 46%. This is due to the fact that donors are aging, and every fourth recipient dies in the queue.
The number of people in the waiting list for a lung transplant has increased by half over the last 5 years. This statistic only applies to the UK, as in many other countries, it is even more striking. Today, 354 of the British in need of an emergency transplant to stay alive. In 2013 their number was 242 people. Thus, it grew by 46%. About a quarter of all patients on the waiting list die before receiving new light or become so fragile that carrying out this complex operation is canceled.
The experts explain this by the fact that the donor lung is rapidly getting older, their health deteriorates, and in many cases, the lungs not suitable for transplant. Experts urge more people to enroll in programs at the sacrifice of donor organs in order to transfer them to the needy. Note that in the UK the transfer of organs from living donors to strangers is possible only at no charge trade of organs is strictly prohibited and is a criminal offense. But some wealthy recipients who need emergency transplants are traded on the black market in human organs that continue to function. More often the donors are people in poor countries, for which the sale of a kidney or a lung is the only chance to somehow improve their financial situation.
However, a significant number of UK residents refused to sign the consent for the transplantation of organs from their relatives, even after the doctors record they have clinical death. There is a certain window of time during which the person is brain-dead but still functioning heart may be a suitable donor for transplant, and depending on the extent of the damage can help several people in need. But this is possible only with the written consent of relatives. (READ MORE)