The waiting list for a donor organ
An organ transplant can save lives. In the Netherlands, there are not enough donor organs available to help everyone immediately. Therefore, there is a waiting list for people who need an organ.
On the waiting list
An organ transplant is a major surgery. A person only receives a donor organ if it is the only way to stay alive. Therefore, strict rules apply to a transplant. A patient must meet these requirements to be placed on the waiting list.
In the Netherlands, there are on average more than 1,400 people on the waiting list for a donor organ. There is a separate list for each organ, such as a heart, a kidney, or a liver. Some people need more than one organ. In those cases, they are on multiple lists. The list for a donor kidney is the longest.
Always in motion
The waiting list for a donor organ is always changing. Every year, more than 1,200 patients on the waiting list receive a transplant. They are then removed from the list. New patients who are very ill are also constantly being added. And unfortunately, patients on the waiting list still pass away as well.
In the video below, we explain how the waiting list works and why it keeps changing:
Allocation of an organ
Many people think that the patient at the top of the waiting list is always the first to be treated. That is not always true, because an organ must be a match for the patient's body. Factors such as blood type, age, weight, and tissue type are important in this regard.
If a donor organ is not a good match, the body may reject it. The body perceives the organ as dangerous, much like a virus or bacteria. The immune system then attacks the transplanted organ, causing it to become damaged or malfunction.
'In my family, kidney donation is not an issue.'
Ambar is waiting. She lives in a no-man's-land, hoping for the solution: a new donor kidney.
Eurotransplant
Eurotransplantmanages the waiting lists for donor organs in the Netherlands. This organization operates in eight countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary. Organs are sometimes exchanged between countries. For instance, a donor organ from the Netherlands may end up with a patient in Belgium. This happens if a recipient there needs it urgently or if it is a better match. At other times, the Netherlands receives an organ from Belgium. This keeps it fair for all countries.
When an organ becomes available, a special computer system compares the donor's data with the patients' data. This creates a list of people for whom the organ is a good match. It is not just medical data that is important; they also look at the waiting time and a fair distribution between the collaborating countries.
Frequently asked questions about the waiting list
Do some patients get priority?
Sometimes patients receive a special status on the waiting list because they urgently need an organ. This happens if someone is very seriously ill and is about to die. A young child who needs a donor organ is also placed on the waiting list with this status. If a suitable donor organ becomes available, these patients are given priority. How this works exactly differs per type of organ.
How long does someone have to wait on average for a donor organ?
How long a patient is on the waiting list depends on several things. Each organ has its own waiting list. As a result, the waiting time for all organs is different. Also, some people are on the waiting list with more urgency, which means they receive an organ sooner.
In addition, it is important that the organ is a good match for the patient on the waiting list. For example, age and blood type are looked at, but other medical data are also important.