Every second Saturday in October European Day of Organ Donation and Transplantationa date that this year coincides with World Organ, Tissue and Transplantation Day, a celebration that has the same objectives: raise awareness about donation and transplantation procedures with the aim of promoting it and recognizing the work of the professionals who make this event possible.

Transplantation, in general, is the replacement of a diseased organ or tissue with another organ or tissue that functions well. For this reason, the presence of donors is a must. Donating means being willing to carry out acts of altruism and solidarity to save someone whose only alternative to living is a transplant.

Organs that can be donated includes the kidneys, liver, heart, pancreas, stomach, intestines and lungs. In addition, tissues such as: cornea, bone, skin, cartilage or tendons, arteries, veins, bone marrow or umbilical cord can also be taken from the organ.

Which European countries lead in organ donation and transplantation?

Spain is the country with the highest donation rate in the worldThis is what is stated by various health organizations. According to the latest data released by the National Transplant Organization, Spain surpassed the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom in terms of data. accounts for 5% of registered donors worldwide.

In Europe, things have not changed. Spain continues to be the leader in organ donation, placing itself above France, Italy, Germany and Poland. The number of organ transplants in Europe in 2022, according to the National Organization for Transplantation (ONT), will look like this:

Spain: 5,383

France: 1,694

Italy: 1,500

Germany: 869

Poland:445

Who can be a donor?

Anyone who, during their lifetime, decides that, after death, their organs will serve to save or improve the life of another person can become an organ donor. However, not everything can happen because death must occur in hospital. It’s necessary the death was caused by an irreversible brain injury and the legal criteria for brain death were met or because of an incurable heart attack.

In fact, in the Intensive Care Unit it is possible to carry out organ preservation and the tests necessary to carry out a correct assessment of each potential donor. It is the medical team who, after all the tests have been carried out, will determine whether the person interested in donating can be a donor and what organ.