Transplant "twins": the experience of sharing transplanted thoracic organs from the same donor

Many thoracic transplant recipients who receive organs from the same donor share facilities for 3 months, and are aware that they have received organs from the same donor.

A confidential questionnaire including open and closed questions assessed relationships between "twins" and the experience of having a twin. The Significant Others Scale assessed social support. Of 141 heart and 58 lung transplants, 25 pairs of transplant twins were identified. Questionnaires were sent to the 32 surviving twins.

Twenty-six twins responded; 17 had received a heart and nine a lung. The 17 men and 9 women had a mean age of 51 years. Eighteen respondent's "twins" remained alive at the time of participation and eight had died. Sixty-six percent of the both- twin alive group and 43% of one-twin alive group felt they had a special bond with their twin, different from the other relationships that they have experienced. Fifty-six percent of the both-twin alive group and 43% of one-twin alive group felt having a twin enriched their transplant experience. Transplant twins rated social support last behind: the transplant support personnel; close family members; other transplant recipients; and good friends and general practitioners, both in levels of ideal and actual support. Transplant twins showed the largest discrepancy between levels of ideal and actual support than any other individual ranked.

Being a transplant twin is a special experience that generally enriches the overall transplant experience but having a transplant twin, does not appear to enhance the amount of social support.