Spain sets new organ donation record, with 19 deceased donors handled in 24 hours

This new record was set on 29 November. According to figures from the Spanish National Transplant Organisation (Spanish acronym: ONT), Spain has dealt with a total of 19 deceased donors in a single day for the first time; one of them through international cooperation. This achievement was made possible by the huge generosity from the public and the enormous efficiency of the Spanish coordination and transplant network.

November was an exceptional month: besides setting a new record, there were two days on which 15 donors were recorded, compared with six donors per day on average in 2018.

The solidarity of these 19 families enabled a total of 38 transplants to be performed: 23 kidney transplants, 10 liver transplants, 2 bipulmonary transplants, 2 heart transplants and 1 combined pancreas-kidney transplant.

Two of the transplants (1 liver and 1 heart) were performed under 'urgencia cero' situations [priority transplant recipients]. Furthermore, two of the patients for the kidney transplants were included in the Spanish Programme of Transplant Access for Highly Sensitised Patients (Spanish acronym: PATHI).

A total of 27 hospitals in 13 autonomous regions took part in the operations (Andalusia, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castile-Leon, the Region of Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and the Basque Country). One hospital in France can be added to this list (see Annex 1).

The previous record (set on 14 December 2015) involved 15 deceased donors and one live kidney donor in under 24 hours. A total of 38 transplants were performed on that day.

Partnership with public and private entities

On this occasion, the Spanish National Transplant Organisation received support from various public and private entities, as well as the emergency and civil protection services of the autonomous regions involved. Furthermore, eight flights were mobilised to relocate equipment and organs; five of them were private flights and three were commercial flights, involving a total of 12 airports.

The Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Well-being insists that public solidarity, together with the work by the hospital transplant coordinators and the whole Spanish transplant network, have positioned Spain as a world leader in this field for the last 27 consecutive years.

Despite this important activity, both the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Well-being and the Spanish National Transplant Organisation encourage every member of the public to continue donating organs, tissue and cells because this gesture can save lives.

List of hospitals involved in the organ donation and transplantation operations

Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar

Non official translation