Utilization of Donated Lungs in Australia: 1989–1997

Abstract

Journal of Transplant Coordination, Vol. 9, Number 3, September 1999 ber of studies have been done to determine either the potential for donation or overall donation and transplantation rates. Roels and De Meester1 showed higher rates of thoracic transplantation in the Eurotransplant (the exchange organization that coordinates organ procurement, allocation, and exchange in and between Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands) countries with presumed consent than those with explicit consent legislation. Data are reported in this study as donors and donated lungs per million population per year. A calculation based on their reported populations shows a rate of 25 available lungs per 100 donors for the presumed consent countries compared with a rate of 13 per 100 donors for the nonpresumed consent Eurotransplant countries. The investigators concluded that presumed consent legislation accounted for this discrepancy. A similar calculation based on population applied to a study by Colpitts and Freitag2 shows an overall lung utilization rate of 15 lung transplants per 100 donors in Canada for the same years as reported by Roels and De Meester1 (1992-1994). The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)3 and United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority (UKTSSA)4 data for these years show rates of 13 to 15 and 14 to 18 lung transplants per 100 donors, Utilization of donated lungs in Australia: 1989-1997