Heart transplant waiting lists reach record high, with doubling in number waiting

This article was taken from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/23/heart-transplant-waiting-lists-reach-record-high-doubling-number/

By Laura Donnelly, health editor

Heart transplant waiting lists reach record high, with doubling in number waiting

Heart transplant waiting lists are at a record high, with the numbers waiting more than doubling in a decade.

Experts said the number of hearts donations is failing to keep pace with growing demand, and advances in medicine which are keeping some patients on the lists for longer.

Ministers today pleaded for more families to discuss donations ahead of changes to law on organ donation which will take place next year.

From next spring England will move to a system of “opt out” donation with consent presumed unless people record a decision not to donate. The same changes, which have already been introduced in Wales, will follow in Scotland in autumn of next year.

NHS Blood and Transplant today warned that the number of patients on the heart transplant list has increased by more than double since 2010.

The annual figures show 295 patients waiting, up from 126 in 2010, with an average wait of three years to transplant.

More than 200 people have died in the last five years while waiting for such operations.

Care minister Caroline Dinenage said: “Heart transplantation is truly a miracle of modern medicine, and has saved countless lives.

“But as we celebrate 40 years since the UK’s first heart transplant, the number of people in need of a new heart keeps growing and tragically many will die waiting.”

Lifesavers at work Transplant timetable

  • 1967

    Christiaan Barnard performs the world’s first heart transplant on Louis Washkansky in Cape Town. The patient dies after 18 days

  • 1968

    First heart transplant in the UK is performed. The patient survives for 45 days. Within two years, a moratorium is imposed after more surgery with comparably poor results

  • 1971

    Ciclosporin is discovered, introducing a new age of immunosuppressant drugs that make rejection of donor organs less likely

  • 1976

    Medical Royal Colleagues and Faculties produce report defining brain stem death. This gives cover to remove organs from people whose brains are so damaged they cannot recover

  • 1979 January

    Terence English performs a heart transplant on Charles McHugh, who dies after three days

  • 1979 August

    Terence English performs the UK’s first successful heart transplant on Keith Castle

  • 2011

    Matthew Green is first UK patient to receive a portable total artificial heart implant

  • 2020

    England will move to an opt-out system in which all adults will be deemed an organ donor unless they have recorded their opposition

     

What you need to know | Organ donations

  • Organs and tissue from donors are used only with the consent of the family after the patient dies, so as well as joining the NHS Organ Donor Register by phone (0300 123 23 23) or online (organdoantion.nhs.uk), you should tell a relative or close friend about your decision to donate.
  • Anyone, regardless of age, can join the NHS Organ Donor Register.
  • There are more than 21.8 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register; only 4.7 per cent are 15 years old or younger. Children can receive donor organs only from other children.

Officials said later conversations about organ donation conversation were much easier if families already know what their relative wanted.

Experts said the waiting list had grown because of increased demand for heart transplants, and the ability to use ventricular assist devices which can allow patients are able to wait longer.

John Maingay, Director of Policy at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Hundreds of people across the country are on the waiting list for a heart transplant at any one time, and sadly not everyone will currently receive the transplant that they desperately need. The introduction of Max and Keira’s Law in England and Scotland means we will switch to a soft opt out system, which will provide much needed hope for those on the heart transplant waiting list.

“This is a significant legal change that makes it all the more important for everyone to let their closest relatives know what they would want to happen with their organs in the event of their death.  It is also vital that you make sure your decision is registered, so there is no confusion about what you want. Letting people know your wishes for after you die could ultimately save the lives of others.”

5 ways to look after your heart

1. Get off the couch

Undertaking regular cardio exercise such as cycling, swimming or brisk walking should, over time, bring down your resting heart rate.

2. Chill out

Stress and anxiety can cause heart palpitations and although stress is not a direct risk factor for heart disease, it may contribute to your risk level. Relaxation through yoga or meditation can help reduce stress and may help bring down your heart rate.

3. Quit smoking

Smokers have higher resting heart rates. According to the British Heart Foundation, quitting is the best thing you can do for your heart health.

4. Eat well

Adding more fibre to your diet, cutting down on saturated fat and eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day will make your heart healthier.

5. Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight can increase your risk of heart disease.

Lyndsey Fitzpatrick, 34, from the Wirral, will have been waiting for three years on Saturday.   She has a series of heart conditions, which meant she needed open heart surgery aged three and a pacemaker, aged 10. She has gone on to have three more pacemakers. In 2015, her health started to deteriorate and in September 2016 Lyndsey went on the waiting list for a heart transplant.

She said: “I have had health problems my whole life. Throughout my life I have struggled with my mobility, breathlessness and exhaustion on a daily basis. I have to use a wheelchair or mobility scooter when I’m out and about.

“I try to keep a happy, cheerful and optimistic state of mind throughout it all and enjoy my life even if I do have to take life at a slower pace and rest when needed.

“Nearly three years after going on the transplant list I’m still waiting for that all important phone call. A call to say a match has been found for me, a call to say that I can start the next chapter of my life.

“I know it is hard for people to talk about organ donation but for people like me and many others that are waiting for a heart that conversation could save our lives,” she said.

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