Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Lung Rapid Recovery Procurement Combined with Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Controlled Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 15, 2022
A 16-fold increase in organ donation in a Hispanic population
M Saadé1, L Morales-Otero, J Davis
1LifeLink of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Insights
Implementing a culturally tailored organ procurement organization significantly boosted organ donation rates in Puerto Rico. This initiative overcame cultural barriers, leading to a substantial increase in life-saving transplants.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation immunology
- Public health
- Surgical innovation
Background:
- Organ transplantation demand outstrips supply globally, despite various efforts to increase donation.
- Hispanic organ donation in Puerto Rico historically lagged due to cultural factors.
- A significant increase in organ donation was observed following targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a culturally adapted organ procurement organization on organ donation rates in Puerto Rico.
- To analyze trends in organ donation over three decades at the Puerto Rico Transplant Center.
- To identify strategies for overcoming cultural and educational barriers to organ donation.
Main Methods:
- A 30-year retrospective analysis of 1400 transplants at the Puerto Rico Transplant Center.
- Data divided into three periods: pre-procurement organization, early procurement organization, and later period.
- Comparison of deceased donor rates between 1984-1995 and 1998-2006, and a 6-year subset.
Main Results:
- A 12-fold increase in deceased organ donors was observed when comparing 1984-1995 to 1998-2006.
- A 16.8-fold increase in deceased donors was noted in the last six years compared to the 1984-1995 period.
- The establishment of a formal organ procurement organization correlated with a significant rise in donation.
Conclusions:
- Culturally sensitive administrative and educational strategies can overcome local obstacles to organ donation.
- Strategic planning tailored to local realities is crucial for improving organ transplantation outcomes.
- Successful implementation of a dedicated procurement organization led to a remarkable increase in organ availability.
Unlabelled:
Organ transplantation as a substitute for diseased organs in end-stage organ failure has led to a worldwide increase in this treatment modality, but donation has not kept pace with the demand, despite scientific, social, and government efforts. For many years, Hispanic donation in Puerto Rico was meager and lagged behind major centers in North America and Europe. Studies signaled mostly cultural factors in this limited donation. We report a 16-fold increase in organ donation with the development of a formal procurement organization tailored to a local culture.
Methods:
The 30-year, 1400-transplant experience of the Puerto Rico Transplant Center was divided in three periods: 1977 through 1893, the latter signaling the approval of a transplant law; 1984 through 1995, signaling the commencement of a formal organ procurement organization; and 1996 through 2006. The subset of 2001 to 2006 was used in an additional calculation against 1984 to 1995.
Results:
The comparison of the mean deceased donors from 1984 to 1995 with 1998 to 2006 shows a 12-fold increase; and the last 6 years versus 1984 to 1995, a 16.8-fold increase.
Conclusion:
Cultural and educational obstacles in a given country may be overridden by aggressive administrative and educational approaches and strategic planning tailored to local realities, with improvement in organ transplantation.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Tissue Transplantation
The Biology of Tissue Transplantation
The biology of tissue transplantation hinges on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. These molecules...
01:28Kidney Transplant I: Introduction
01:22Bone Marrow Sampling and Transplants
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy the...