In 2012, 112,631 transplants were performed worldwide, 5.1% more than the previous year. Data from the National Transplant Organization (ONT) – which collaborates with the World Health Organization – place Spain at the forefront performing 4% of all transplants carried out worldwide.
By organs, the greatest number of transplants were kidney transplants, with 76,118, 23,721 were liver transplants, 5,741 were heart transplants, 4,278 were lung transplants, while 2,564 were pancreas transplants and 209 were intestine transplants. In contrast, despite the increase in transplants, 3,774 people died in 2012 waiting for a transplant.
Transplants by country
The director of the ONT, Rafael Matesanz, highlighted the increase in transplants in Latin America. “The growth of donors in that area of the world has been 50%, there is no other area of the world that has had that growth”. And the leadership of Spain where “we can feel very proud because the difficulties that the system is having and the country’s crisis have not affected the transplant system”.
Matesanz used Spain as an example and stated that “the countries that are really growing and showing the best data are those that have adopted a system of medical coordinators like the Spanish one”. On the other hand, in Europe in general the growth of donors has been very slight, only two tenths of a percentage point.
Overall, the assessment of the figures is positive but not sufficient. More donors are needed, “at a global level we should be growing faster than we are growing,” said Matesanz.