More than 400 people in Finland are awaiting donor organs for transplant procedures, according to the Finnish Kidney and Liver Organisation. The NGO said that while the donor shortage involves all organs, hearts in particular are hard to come by.
Compounding the situation for heart transplant patients is the fact that just one-fifth of potential donors are fit to pass on their organs. This is partly due to the fact that the average age of brain-dead organ donors has risen.
It’s now possible for persons over the age of 60 to donate their kidneys, liver or lungs. However at that age the heart is rarely suitable for a transplant, says Professor Karl Lemström of Helsinki University Hospital's heart and lung unit.
NGO: Get an organ donor card
As a result heart transplant patients find themselves facing extended waiting times for a donor organ. If the patient’s condition deteriorates, it is possible to use mechanical devices until a suitable donor can be identified, the specialist said.
"At the moment some 30 people are awaiting heart transplants. 40 percent of them are using mechanical support devices. The longest wait for a heart transplant with the device is 4.5 years," Lemström added in a release.
The Kidney and Liver Organisation has called on members of the public to get an organ donor card and to inform family members about whether or not they want to donate organs. According to Finnish law everyone is considered an organ donor, unless they have explicitly stated before death that they do not wish to donate.
