CARE OF THE POTENTIAL PEDIATRIC ORGAN DONOR (original) (raw)

2001, Pediatric Clinics of North America

Solid organ donation is a valuable method of treating various end-stage diseases in adults and ~hildren.7~ Already in the early days of transplantation, organ shortage was recognized as the major obstacle to offering this treatment to patients in need.30 As survival rates improve, more indications for organ transplantation become evident. Because organ availability does not equal organ need, waiting lists and waiting times have increased dramatically over the past decade, confronting physicians with an ever-increasing moral dilemma to which developing countries long have been accustomed: not being able to help, despite knowing how to help. Although new ways of tackling the organ shortage appropriately are sought by expanding living related transplantation and nonheart-beating donors, cadaveric heart-beating organ donation always will be of crucial importance as a source of organs. The current situation, with annual organ donation rates compared with waiting lists and annual deaths of people waiting for an organ, is presented in . From 5% (Europe), to 10% (United Kingdom), to 19% (United States) (all in 1998) of all donors are children. Although, in earlier years, organs from young children often were not transplanted because of less favorable results, this situation has improved markedly,Is2 and pediatric organs are used for pediatric and adult recipients,", lz8, 141, lS9 while even more adult organs serve pediatric recipients.