Next month, the Green September begins, a period of awareness and incentive to organ donation. The campaign aims to emphasize the importance of donation, considering that a single donor can save the lives of several people — since it is possible to donate more than one organ and different tissues.
Despite the importance of the action, the waiting lists to receive an organ are still long in the country and the refusal rate of families remains high — around 44%. Débora Terrabuio, a hepatologist at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (HC/FMUSP), explains that the month represents a period of awareness, but that the campaign is permanent.
Improvements
Brazil has a national center in the Ministry of Health (MS), 27 state centers, 650 hospitals, more than
1,250 services and 1,660 qualified transplant teams, thus, it is observed that the country has a good structure to serve the population . Débora Terrabuio comments that what is missing is a commitment to
dialogue with people, since the person who authorizes the donation is the family. “The family is
approached at the moment they lost their loved one, so there is a taboo not to talk about death in life”,
she comments.
The lack of discussions on this topic, therefore, forms the high rate of refusal of the donation. In addition, the specialist explains that there are many myths associated with organ donation, such as the confusion that is made between brain death and coma, together with the belief that, with the donation, the body would be disfigured and this factor could delay the individual’s funeral. Thus, awareness of the issue is important, since, for some people, the organ to be donated is vital for survival.
Waiting time
Waiting time is another important aspect for this debate and it tends to vary according to the severity of
the patients; thus, the lower the Meld scale, the faster it transplants. Aspects such as status and blood
type also affect this period. According to Débora, in the best scenarios, the waiting period lasts about ten
months.
In cases of liver transplantation, for example, the mortality of patients who are in the queue is around
15%, a value that can vary and usually increases depending on the patient’s needs. Currently, the list for
transplants is unique and works nationally, with that, patients are allocated depending on some
previously defined priorities. There are also some local lists that are used in less serious cases.
Key point
The conversation with families and the call for awareness campaigns seem to be, therefore, the most
important points in this debate. For this reason, professionals in the area are trained to deal with the
delicate situation that the patient’s family members are going through.
Débora also points out that many people do not know the importance of organ donation, so it is necessary to talk to society about the importance of this topic and highlight the seriousness that involves the whole process. “It’s important to talk about this not only in September, but in every month of the year”, highlights the doctor.
Finally, the decision on the organs that will be donated is made after completing a form that includes
clinical data, physical examinations and blood tests, to then be passed on to the transplant service that
will assess the conditions of the organ and compatibility. related to patients on the waiting list.