The regulatory framework for organ donation from traffic death which has been legislated since March 2023, but is not yet implemented in Greece, is being prepared at the moment, told FM Agency, professor emeritus of EKPA and President of Onassios Yiannis Boletis. And this, as he underlines, in 2025 will be another reason why organ donation will increase in our country, which this year records an all-time record. As the professor mentions, at the moment organ donation in Greece is done only afterwards brain death. “That is, when the brain has died, but the heart continues to function for a few 24 hours. We keep the person on a respirator to give him air and we take advantage of this time so that we can get the organs in good condition, as long as they are blooded. However, when circulatory death has occurred, i.e. the heart has stopped working, then the organs begin to be destroyed and they must be taken very quickly. In fact, some machines are necessary to help keep the organs alive until the transplant is done. These machines didn’t exist in the past, which is why the traffic death donation started in the last decade or so.”

6th Transplant Masterclass: The next steps for Organ Donation and Transplants in Greece

The president of Onassios gives an interview on the occasion of the 6th Transplant Masterclass, the closed educational seminar entitled “The next steps for Organ Donation and Transplantation in Greece: Shaping the future”, which is being held again this year at the Domotel Kastri hotel, 6-8 December from the Onassis Foundation, under the scientific auspices of the Hellenic Transplantation Organization and the Onassis Hospital. “It is the only event in which all the contributors to a transplant come so close, in order to gain a common understanding of the project and to be able to solve the individual problems that exist in the various steps of the process, while at the same time education and information are provided. This year, we are preparing the transplant community in Greece to proceed with circulatory death transplants. And in fact, presentations in this part of the seminar are made by excellent scientists from abroad, who work in both research and clinical practice.” As Mr. Boletis, a Spanish team participates in the seminar for the transfer of know-how, as in Spain the donation from circulatory death reaches a rate of 40%.

Steady significant increase per year – In the middle of the average European average in deceased donors

According to the professor, in recent years in our country there has been a steady significant increase in transplants per year. “This year, we have reached ten donors per million population (every day we have one or two donors) last year donors were 8.3 per million population, the year before 6.6, in 2021 4.7 and before that 4.4. This year, 150 people have been transplanted with a kidney from 138 last year, 48 with a liver from 40 last year, 22 with a heart from 14 last year and 12 with lungs with a total number of 12 last year. On the other hand, with the positive climate that exists and the contribution of the Ministry of Health and specific actions of the responsible deputy minister Mr. Themistocles, the living donors this year are 111, last year they were 103 and the year before 84”. The progress is very good, comments Mr. Boletis, pointing out that not everything has been solved yet, since as he says to the deceased donors, our country is in the middle of the average European average, we have only approximately tripled our numbers in the last three years.

Living donor donation at high European levels – Waiting times are decreasing

“In living donors, which concern the kidney in essence, we are in the countries that are quite high in Europe. And this is because a very big effort has been made at the People’s Hospital, where we do about 80 transplants from living donors a year and in this way, we have climbed high and continue. We are optimistic that if we persist on the same path, we will soon approach the average European averages.” Regarding the waiting time for an instrument, Mr. Boletis explains that it depends on the flow of donors. “Now that the flow of donors is increasing, the waiting time is decreasing. No one gets a kidney transplant unless they have been waiting for about 8 years. For a heart, the wait is about 2-3 years. About the same for the lungs and for the liver, things have improved recently and the wait is up to two years.”

For what reasons was a record number of transplants recorded this year?

For what reasons was a record number of transplants recorded in Greece this year, and what are your estimates for 2025, the president of Onassios is asked. by EOM, with the support of the Onassis Foundation and the very active participation of the Onassis Hospital. First, the system has gained a credibility compared to the past. Second, ICUs doubled their beds due to coronavirus. Third, ICU doctors have become very active in the direction of donation. Fourth, an important role was played by the fact that the Onassis Foundation financed the hiring of seven local coordinators for three years, and recently the Ministry of Health hired twenty local coordinators. Here, let us emphasize that there is no successful transplant system in the world that does not rely to a large extent on local coordinators and their collaboration with ICU doctors.”

The hospital chart of transplants

Where and what kind of transplants are currently taking place in Greece? “At Onassios, heart transplants have been performed since 1993 and lung transplants since 2000. I estimate that in February, Onassios will proceed with pediatric transplants that are not done in Greece, in collaboration with Laiko and Aglaia Kyriakou. A liver transplant program has also started in Laiko, kidney transplants are done in Evangelismos, liver and kidney transplants are done in the General Hospital of Thessaloniki “Ippokrateio”. A promising center is at the University Hospital of Patras, which performs kidney transplants and recently started pancreas transplants. The P.G.N. remains in operation with less activity. of Ioannina”. Pursuit of Onassios emphasizes Mr. Boletis is to fill in the gaps that exist in the rest of the centers and take a part of the increased load. How much it is considered that our culture is changing in transplantation and organ donation and how much the health system in Greece supports it, is the last question asked to the President of Onassios: “It is changing dramatically and it is not only changing in the world. It is also changing in the healthcare environment. And you see how things improve in a short time when we apply proven methods. It is of great importance for the successful continuation not to rest, but to continue the multifaceted effort”.