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Solid organ transplantation is the only treatment for people with end‐stage organ failure. Unfortunately, the number of people waiting for transplants exceeds that of donated organs. In 2019, there were 548 deceased organ donors and 1444 transplant recipients in Australia; 1700 people were on waiting lists, and an estimated 12 000 required dialysis. 

Children more frequently develop complications or die while waiting for organs than adults or teenagers, partly because they need size‐matched organs. Only a small proportion of organ donors are children, and, despite technological advances in support for people waiting for organs, mortality among children waiting for donor hearts is 8–17% Increasing the number of donor organs from children would benefit people on waiting lists of all ages; children often need size‐matched organs, but kidneys donated by children are frequently used for transplantation in adults.

This MJA research shares more.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain key components of the research
2. List main findings
3. Recognise the importance of organ donation by children under 16 years of age to minimise mortality in children.

Details

Author: Tal T Klein, Michael J O'Leary, Lukas Staub and Elena Cavazzoni

Article Type: Research