The first patient has undergone a transplant under the UK’s new urgent and super urgent lung allocation schemes.
These new schemes have been introduced to help make sure patients who are in most need of the donor lungs are prioritised.
Previously, patients were prioritised by individual transplant centres when a suitable donor became available. Lungs were primarily allocated based on regional zones.
Patients who are rapidly deteriorating on waiting lists can now be registered for a super urgent or urgent lung transplant. They will be part of a national list with access to suitable donors across the UK.
Sally Johnson said: “Under the new system, patients across the UK who are at most risk of dying on the waiting list will be given higher priority for a transplant.
“Last year, (2015/16) 55 people died waiting for a lung transplant and we believe these new allocation schemes will save more lives. We urge people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell their families they want to become donors.”
Steven Tsui is a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and also chair of the Cardiothoracic Advisory Group at NHS Blood and Transplant.
He said: “Specialists from all the UK’s lung transplant units have worked together to develop this scheme.
“The most critically ill patients, for example those receiving extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or Novalung (iLA), will now get priority allocation of donor organs. We hope that patients who are most in need of a lung transplant will now have a better chance of receiving this life saving treatment and that we can reduce the high waiting list mortality for lung transplant.”
The ongoing work on organ allocation is part of NHS Blood and Transplant’s ODT Hub Programme, which is improving how donors and waiting list patients are referred, assessed, and matched.
