Donini: “Thanks to all those who choose to donate to give new life to others, and to the professionals of our regional network, an excellence at an international level”
As of March 31, there were 80 donors reported (+2 compared to the same quarter of 2023), and 131 transplants performed (+2). Corneal harvesting also increased slightly (+5), 563
April 15, 2024 – With a 2023 yes recordwho scored the highest number of transplants ever, 585e 325 donorsthe Region Emilia Romagna is ready to turn the lights on National day for organ and tissue donationwhich is celebrated Sunday 14 April.
Initiatives by information and awareness organized by regional health service also in collaboration with the associative world are provided throughout the territory (specific programs can be found on the websites of health agencies and hospitals), to keep attention high on a lifestyle choice that can make a difference to the lives of others.
Now in its 27th edition, the event promoted by Ministry of Health it is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of this gesture of solidarity also in Emilia-Romagna, where donors are constantly increasing and transplants continue to grow, thanks to a capillary and well organized system, coordinated by the Transplant Reference Center.
This is confirmed by data from the first quarter of 2024: al March 31 I am 80 the donors reported (+2 compared to the same period in 2023) e 51 were used (-1); in growth and transplantscon 131 already carried out in 2024 (+2) both corneal harvests: 563 (5 more).
“The day which is celebrated throughout Italy on Sunday – states the regional councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini– it is an opportunity to say thank you to all those who choose to donate to give new life to other people, making a gesture of extraordinary generosity. If we leave behind a record-breaking 2023 and start 2024 well too, it is thanks to the donors, but also to the voluntary associations and the professionals of our regional donation and transplant network, which represents excellence at an international level. Important goals, which however push us to do even better: we therefore continue to keep our attention high, so that more and more people from Emilia-Romagna decide to donate”.
And give in 2023
The record number of 585 transplants performed in 2023 confirms and strengthens the growth of recent years (the interventions were 516 in 2022 and 493 in 2021); a result achieved thanks to the increase in potential donors reported by hospitals (325, +6.2% compared to the previous year), and the strength of the territorial network. Consequently, also increased donors actually used (222, +7.7%), demonstrating the system’s ability to optimize available resources. So, good 585 (+13.4%) organs transplanted because they were considered suitable also thanks to the innovative treatment techniques introduced in recent years.
In 2023, the transplants from a non-heart running donor (DCD) i.e. from a donor whose death is ascertained using cardiological and not encephalic criteria. Well 70 reports of heart-stopped donation (17 more than in 2022) e 62 donors used (14 more) for a total of 122 organs removed and transplanted with this technique, decidedly more complex but capable of giving more hope to waiting patients. In particular, i heart transplants from DCD donation They were performed for the first time in the region itself last year: in total in 2023 the cardiac surgeons of the Irccs Policlinico di Sant’Orsola completed 4.
The credit for these numbers must be attributed to the excellent performances of the transplant centers of Bologna, Modena and Parma as for theorganization of the regional donation network coordinated by Transplant Reference Center. The enhancement launched in 2017 with the establishment of the COP (hospital procurement coordination) for the identification of organ and tissue donors has in fact increased the already high attention paid to the 23 donation sites spread throughout the Emilia-Romagna area. The numbers for 2023 must, therefore, to awareness and support activities carried out over the years by the Emilia-Romagna CRT, to capillary organisation of the regional network e to the high organ acceptance index demonstrated by transplant centers.
The Gift Index report of the National Transplant Center
Il National transplant center also this year he edited and published the relationship Gift Indexnow in its fifth edition, which analyzes the numbers of declarations of intent to donate organs and tissues registered in 2023 to the renewal of identity cards in the registers of over 7 thousand Italian municipalities; the values are expressed in hundredths and take into account some indicators such as the percentage of consensus, the percentage of abstentions and the number of documents issued.
As regards Emilia-Romagna, Ferrara is in sixth place among the most generous large cities (with over 100 thousand inhabitants) in Italy for organ donation, with a donation index of 68.73/100, a percentage of approval of 75.8% and an abstention by 33.8%. Regional presence also in the top ten of medium-large municipalities (between 30 and 100 thousand inhabitants): Formigine (MO) is sixth, with an index of 70.52/100.
The Bolognese municipality of Castel d’Aiano (BO), like last year, is first among all those from Emilia-Romagna: in 2023 it obtained a gift index of 83.53/100, a consensus percentage of 93.3% and an abstention of 28 ,7%. In second place Frassinoro (MO) with an index of 77.54/100, and in third place Gazzola (PC), with an index of 76.16/100.
Emilia-Romagna there is a gift index of 62.75/100: the approval percentage is 70.8% and abstention is at 40.6%, against a national average of 68.5% yes and 41.8% abstentions. Among the different age groups, the most generous are citizens between 51 and 60 years old (73.7% approval); 18-30 year olds stop at 67.9%, and in the case of those over 80 the consensus is 53.3%, probably – as reported in the report – due to the erroneous belief that organ donation at an advanced age is not possible.
The full report is available on the site www.trapianti.salute.gov.it