The medical system in Romania faces a problem that tends to become critical at the beginning of 2024. It is about the lack of cadaveric donors, which leads to a small number of organ transplants performed by medical professionals.
Patient at the hospital PHOTO SOURCE The Truth Archive
Thus, thousands of patients who are on the waiting lists are hoping for a miracle to save their lives.
The situation tends to become worrying
The lack of cadaveric donors is also felt in Iași, at the “Dr. CI Parhon” from Iași, where dozens of kidney transplants are performed annually. However, the medical staff claim that they are facing a crisis and that, until now, in 2024, very few life-saving interventions have been carried out.
“The situation is both good and bad at the moment. I have performed two kidney transplant interventions, which were scheduled, from a living donor. It is a husband-to-wife transplant and a mother-to-daughter transplant. At the same time, in February we have scheduled a transplant from father to daughter. The bad news is that there were no brain-dead donors, and this is worrying.”said Dr. Ionuț Nistor, primary nephrologist.
People have to be persuaded to accept this
According to medical professionals, this problem could be solved and many lives could be saved if people understood how much such a gesture can weigh.
“During the year 2023, 55 kidney transplant interventions were performed. Of these, 38 were 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. It is important that the people in question understand that through this fasting gesture they are saving the lives of patients”, says Dr. Ionuț Nistor.
According to doctors, there are more than 400 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in Iași.
Time, enemy number one
According to medical staff, time is the main enemy of these patients, as it would be ideal for the transplant to be carried out within five years at most from the start of the dialysis sessions.
“Ideally, the transplant should be done within the first five years of starting 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. However, it is ideal that the transplant is done within the first five years“, concluded the doctor from Iesa.
