Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Thoracic organ transplantation

2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 4; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1600-6135.2004.00401.x

1600-6143

Richard N. Pierson, Mark L. Barr, Keith McCullough, Thomas M. Egan, Edward R. Garrity, Mariell Jessup, Susan Murray,

Renal Transplantation Outcomes and Treatments

Important trends over the past decade are documented for heart, lung, and heart-lung waiting lists and for corresponding organ transplant recipients. Wait-listed candidates and thoracic organ recipients include increasing percentages of older age groups. In general, median time to transplant is declining and post-transplant survival rates have gradually improved over the last decade for all thoracic organs. It is important to note that the large decrease in mortality rate, apparent for all thoracic organ transplant recipients during 2002 (39% for heart, 66% for heart-lung, 14% for lung recipients), appears to be an artifact of the data collection process. Similar findings were reported last year for the 2001 results but are not confirmed in this year's report for the same 2001 calendar year interval. We conclude that the most recent year's data will not be a valuable source for policy-making unless collection procedures can be improved. The most likely source of this apparent problem is delayed submission of patient follow-up data to the OPTN. Nonetheless, gradual improvement in patient access and in short- and long-term survival appear to be sustained for all thoracic organs and in most patient demographic groups, suggesting favorable influences of recently implemented policies and continued improvement in patient selection and management. Improved information will permit optimal use of these precious organs according to criteria that are generally agreed upon (and, increasingly, objective) among the pool of patients, providers, and payers whose interests are intimately involved in this miraculous process.