Scotland: Rise in number of 'live donors' volunteering to offer kidney transplan

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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health/organ-donation-heroes-rise-number-4892058

Organ donation heroes: Rise in number of 'live donors' volunteering to offer kidney transplants hailed by experts
By Vivienne Aitken

ABOUT 40 per cent of all transplants now involve living donors and medics say these people offer the best chance of a successful surgery.

AROUND 600 Scots are on the kidney transplant list, waiting for a call which could transform their lives.

Not enough people carry donor cards to ensure that, after death, their organs are passed to others.

But there is another way of helping those on the waiting list.

Living donations are happening more and more. Sometimes, the loved one of a transplant patient will give them a kidney.

But there are also altruistic donors – those who give up a kidney to save the life of a complete stranger.

In the last few years, 27 Scots have become altruistic donors and many more are expected to follow next year.

About 40 per cent of all transplants involve living donors. The percentage of those who are altruistic donors is small – but growing.

A few years ago, Edinburgh’s renal transplant unit would see one or two a year. In 2013, they had eight.

Gabriel Oniscu, a consultant transplant surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said: “Altruistic donors are relatively new but have grown in recent years. We see increasing numbers of people coming forward.”

Live donors also offer the best chance of a successful transplant.

Gabriel added: “There is a difference in the quality of a kidney from a live donor.

“A living donor provides the best outcome for a patient. The act of dying affects the organs and the kidney could spend longer in ice than that of a living donor.”

Gabriel said altruistic donors come from all walks of life.

He added: “They are people who perhaps want to give something back to give a fellow human being a better quality of life. We get volunteers from across a wide spectrum. Young people and older people have become altruistic donors. My oldest one was a lady in her 80s. It is all down to overall fitness.

“The patient’s safety is paramount, whether they are giving for a relative or as an altruistic donor.

“It is an operation with risks but it does change someone’s life beyond all recognition. A kidney transplant is a huge thing for people.

“It increases life expectancy and improves quality of life.”

For more information about becoming an altruistic donor, contact the transplant coordinator’s office on 0131 242 1703 or email john.forsythe@luht. scot.nhs.uk