Impact of local donor and regionalization on a German transplantation center

Abstract

Optimal allocation of donor organs is an ongoing matter of debate. We report on the impact of the foundation of UNI NRW, a close transplant collaboration of seven university centers with the intention of improving donor organ allocation, on the heart transplant program in Münster. All donor organs retrieved were offered first to the patients within this region before going into the Eurotransplant (ET) Foundation pool. The heart transplant program data were prospectively (for 1997) and retrospectively (for 1996) analyzed with regard to donor organ availability and allocation. There was a slight decrease in the number of donor hearts offered and accepted within the UNI NRW region in 1997 as compared to in 1996. However, due to the significantly lower organ export rate, the number of heart transplantations performed in UNI NRW rose from 47 to 72 procedures. In Münster, only six donor organs (16 %) were procured from outside UNI NRW in 1997, and these were, in part, due to special urgency requests. In conclusion, the institutionalization of UNI NRW within the framework of ET offers more flexibility, decreases total ischemic time, and may help to lower costs.