PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Increasing waiting lists and declining transplant numbers due to organ shortage are a global problem that needs a multimodal approach to overcome this situation. Extending the criteria for transplantation may be one part of the solution. RECENT FINDINGS: There are political efforts to increase the donor rate and change the listing criteria and the allocation process. Recently, the cardiac allocation score was introduced enhancing the factor urgency to the allocation process. Marginal donor organs can be accepted using ex-vivo perfusion strategies. Experimental approaches, such as donation after circulatory death and xenotransplantation, need to be further developed to be applied to humans and increase the pool of available transplant organs. SUMMARY: Organ shortage needs new approaches to overcome the discrepancy between the number of patients on the wait list and performed heart transplantations, reduce wait list mortality and improve long-term outcomes after transplantation.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Increasing waiting lists and declining transplant numbers due to organ shortage are a global problem that needs a multimodal approach to overcome this situation. Extending the criteria for transplantation may be one part of the solution. RECENT FINDINGS: There are political efforts to increase the donor rate and change the listing criteria and the allocation process. Recently, the cardiac allocation score was introduced enhancing the factor urgency to the allocation process. Marginal donor organs can be accepted using ex-vivo perfusion strategies. Experimental approaches, such as donation after circulatory death and xenotransplantation, need to be further developed to be applied to humans and increase the pool of available transplant organs. SUMMARY: Organ shortage needs new approaches to overcome the discrepancy between the number of patients on the wait list and performed heart transplantations, reduce wait list mortality and improve long-term outcomes after transplantation.
Authors: Magdalena Kimsa-Dudek; Barbara Strzalka-Mrozik; Malgorzata W Kimsa; Irena Blecharz; Joanna Gola; Bartlomiej Skowronek; Adrian Janiszewski; Daniel Lipinski; Joanna Zeyland; Marlena Szalata; Ryszard Slomski; Urszula Mazurek Journal: Transgenic Res Date: 2015-03-27 Impact factor: 2.788
Authors: Nicola Vistarini; Anthony Nguyen; Michel White; Normand Racine; Louis P Perrault; Anique Ducharme; Denis Bouchard; Philippe Demers; Michel Pellerin; Yoan Lamarche; Ismaïl El-Hamamsy; Geneviève Giraldeau; Guy Pelletier; Michel Carrier Journal: Can J Surg Date: 2017-09 Impact factor: 2.089
Authors: Andreas Schaefer; Yvonne Schneeberger; Justus Stenzig; Daniel Biermann; Marisa Jelinek; Hermann Reichenspurner; Thomas Eschenhagen; Heimo Ehmke; Alexander P Schwoerer Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-02-03 Impact factor: 3.240