The number of people waiting for a heart transplant has more than doubled in just five years, according to the latest statistics. Annual figures published by NHS Blood and Transplant, showed that there is still a vast shortage of organ donors. There are currently 286 patients on the waiting list for a heart transplant, compared with 126 in 2010. The figure was as low as 88 in 2007.
Figures from the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2014/15, showed that the number of deceased organ donors in the UK dropped for the first time in 11 years. The figures prompted calls for the soft opt-out organ donation system – currently being introduced in Wales – to be rolled out across the rest of the UK to help increase the number of potential donors.
The report showed there were 182 heart transplants carried out in the UK last year, a drop of 12% from the previous year, while 429 patients died while on the active waiting list for an organ transplant, including 38 heart patients.
