Thirteen years of the Thai red cross organ donation centre

Area of Science:

• Medical Science
• Transplantation Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• The Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Centre has been active for over 13 years.
• Its core functions include promoting organ donation, managing recipient registration, allocating organs, and coordinating procurement.
• The center plays a vital role in the national organ transplantation infrastructure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the data and outcomes of organ donation activities at the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Centre.
• To evaluate the trends and effectiveness of organ procurement over a defined period.
• To provide insights into the organ donation landscape in Thailand.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data collected from the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Centre.
• Data spanned from February 1, 1994, to October 31, 2007.
• Involved reviewing records of registered donors, deceased donors, and procured organs/tissues.

Main Results:

• Over 450,000 individuals registered as potential donors.
• An average of 35,000 new registrations occurred annually in the last six years.
• 791 deceased donors provided 2809 organs and tissues for transplantation, including kidneys, livers, thoracic organs, corneas, heart valves, bones, blood vessels, and skin.
• The average number of organs/tissues per donor increased from approximately three to 3.6 over the study period.

Conclusions:

• The Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Centre is authorized to oversee transplant practices by The Medical Council of Thailand.
• There is an increasing trend in organ and tissue donations.
• The number of patients on the waiting list significantly exceeds the number of available donors, highlighting a critical need for more organ donors.