In 2022, the Department of General and Transplant Surgery of the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw performed 121 kidney transplants, of which every fourth was based on the collection of a living donor organ. Last year was also a record year for the whole country, although Poland is still far from the European leaders.
The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw (UCK WUM) also noted that 73 transplants involved so-called family transplants. “This is a record of recent years,” UCK WUM emphasized in a message posted on its website.
73 transplants from living donors throughout Poland
The institution explained that in addition to the procedures performed in the department of general and transplant surgery, which account for 41 percent. of all procedures in Poland, an additional 11 kidneys were collected at the Department of General, Vascular and Transplant Surgery of the Krakow Medical University (Banach Clinic), of which 3 were transplanted at the same center, and 8 were collected and then transplanted at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute.
“This means that 56% of the tests were carried out nationwide at both UCK WUM clinics. of all kidney transplants from living donors (41 out of 73),” the Center summed up. It indicated that, in addition to UCK WUM, procedures were carried out in nine more centers: in Gdansk (7), in Wroclaw (6), in Szczecin (5), in Lodz (4), in Bydgoszcz (3), in Katowice (2) , Krakow (2), Poznań (2) and Warsaw at the Ministry of the Interior (1).
Minimally invasive kidney harvesting for transplantation
Associate Professor, Clinic of General and Transplant Medicine, Infant Jesus Hospital, UCK, WUM doc. Piotr Domagala noted that the collection and transplantation of kidneys from living donors would not have been possible if healthy volunteers had not decided to help their loved ones. “This is the best treatment for end-stage renal disease,” he said.
“It should be emphasized that all kidney sampling in our Clinic was carried out completely laparoscopically, i.e. using a minimally invasive technique,” he added. “The goal of the Clinic team is to constantly increase the number of transplants of this type. This can be achieved by educating and changing the awareness of patients with kidney disease and their families, as well as activating the attitude of doctors, which will contribute to thoughtful, conscious organ donation, ”he admitted.
The institution emphasized that the record number of kidney donations and transplants from living donors in 2022 in the Department and Clinic of General and Transplant Surgery and in the Department of General, Vascular and Transplant Surgery of the UCK Medical University would not have taken place without the commitment and hard work of the team of doctors (nephrologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists, surgeons), nurses, instrumental nurses, diagnostic laboratory assistants and transplant coordinators.
Kidney transplant - Poland behind
The Center also noted that although the number of donor organs from living donors is increasing from year to year, we are still far from European leaders. According to data provided by the UCK WUM, 1.4-1.5 such transplants are performed per million inhabitants in Poland (1.92 in 2022), in the Netherlands - 31.8 per million, in Turkey - 30.3 per million, in Denmark it is 19.6 per million and in the UK it is 17.3 per million.
“Living organ donation saves patients with end-stage renal disease, which is why education is so important that helps create a positive attitude towards transplantation,” emphasized UCK WUM.
Source: Wprost
