why transplants do not return to their pre-Covid level

Organ donation day takes place on Saturday June 22. The level of transplants continues to rise in France (more than 5,630 last year) but has not yet returned to pre-Covid levels. Nearly 22,000 people are still on the waiting list for a transplant. There is a shortage of organs and since the health crisis, the situation has deteriorated considerably.

By law, everyone is an organ donor. But in practice, when a person dies and the question arises, it is their loved ones who are questioned. In 36% of cases, caregivers are refused. This is often because the donor and their family have never talked about it together before. In certain regions, such as Île-de-France, the opposition rate even exceeds 50%.

“In almost 40% of cases, these samples cannot take place even though the people were potential donors. 80% of French people are in favor of organ donation. So it is absolutely necessary to express this position to your loved ones so that this will is respected when it must happenexplains Marine Jeantet, director general of the Biomedicine Agency, on franceinfo. “Just a simple yes can save thousands of lives”she adds.

The second reason for this lack of organs is explained by the health crisis, which has permanently disrupted the hospital system. Some potential donors, often patients who have suffered a stroke (hemorrhagic stroke), are no longer identified quickly enough. However, we must be able to maintain their oxygenation in order to use the organs.

Recruitment difficulties in hospitals also complicate samples. Some operating theaters are close to saturation. This forces caregivers to juggle schedules and sometimes postpone non-urgent operations. The consequences of this shortage of grafts are dramatic: every day, 2 to 3 patients die because they did not receive a kidney, a liver or a heart in time.