Hundreds of patients are waiting for a miracle. Their lives depend on a transplant, but the doctors do not have good news

The kidney transplant program suffers this time of year. The situation is also worrying in Iasi, where the statistics recorded since the beginning of 2024 do not look too good.

Patient on the hospital bed PHOTO SOURCE The Truth Archive

Medical professionals say the lack of cadaver donors is a big problem, and hundreds of patients are on waiting lists. The only ones who have a chance of saving are the patients for whom a living, compatible donor is identified.

Hundreds of people on waiting lists

In Iași, kidney transplant interventions are performed at the Clinical Hospital “Dr. CI Parhon”, in Copou. During 2023, dozens of patients were saved, many of them with the help of organs taken from brain-dead donors.

During 2023, 55 kidney transplant interventions were performed, 38 being performed from brain-dead donors. Thus, it is an important percentage of the center's activity, and without this percentage, the transplant program suffers. It's something we want to continue to focus on. Patients' lives depend on this gesture. It is important that the members accept and give their consent for sampling when a request comes from the regional coordinators”, says Dr. Ionuț Nistor, primary nephrologist.

Right now, more than 400 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, hoping for a miracle.

Dialysis, the only chance to prolong life

Medical professionals claim that, in the absence of donors, the only chance for patients with chronic kidney disease remains dialysis. Although it prolongs life, dialysis is extremely distressing and affects the quality of daily living. Thus, this procedure accelerates the aging of the body. At the same time, time is another important enemy for patients. The first five years of dialysis are the most important, as it is during this period that the kidney transplant is indicated.

“It is ideal for the transplant to be done within the first five years after the patient started dialysis. After this period there is a risk of cardiovascular complications, infectious complications related to dialysis. Thus, the chances of being accepted for a transplant intervention may be lower. However, there were also patients who had been on dialysis for 20 years and benefited from a transplant“, added the doctor from Iesa.