Tragic Organ Donations US donor organs are increasingly receiving drug-related deaths

The tragic fate of one gives hope to others

The drug problem in the US has been steadily increasing for decades. Accordingly, the number of drug-related deaths is also increasing. This tragic development has also shown that the number of organ donations from overdose deaths has increased dramatically. The number of drug-related deaths that donated at least one organ has increased from 59 in 2000 to 1029 in 2016. In the meantime, around 14 percent of all organ donations in the United States are drug-related.

Are these organs suitable for a transplant? This question was recently investigated by American scientists in a study. Researchers from the University of Utah Health and the Brigham and Women's Hospital studied data collected during the last 17 years during transplants. No significant changes in the survivors' chances of survival were found when the donor organ was derived from drug addicts. The results of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The number of donor organs derived from drug-related deaths has increased more than tenfold in the US over the past five years. (Image: Witthaya / fotolia.com)

The drug crisis offers an unexpected opportunity

At the moment, more than 110,000 people in the United States are waiting for a donor organ. "We were surprised to learn that almost the entire increased incidence of donor organs in the United States over the last five years is a consequence of the drug crisis," said Mandeep R. Mehra, medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center in Brigham and lead author the study, in a press release on the study results.

No irreversible damage to the organs

In the study, the researchers examined data from 2,360 patients who had received a heart or lung transplantation. Scientists compared donor organs derived from drug-related deaths with those from other causes of death such as gunshot wounds, suffocation, head injuries or strokes. The researchers focused on the probability of survival in the first year, as most problems manifest themselves during this period. The results showed that organs of drug-related deaths had a similar survival rate to those of other provenances. This alleviated the physicians' concerns that the organs suffered irreversible damage from the overdose.

Death extends life

"In the unfortunate circumstances in which opioid deaths happen, organ donation can prolong the lives of many patients who need a transplant," says one of the lead authors, Josef Stehlik. Previously, these organs were often considered unsuitable. Stehlik is confident that doctors across the country can now be confident that organs with a background of lethal drug addiction are suitable for transplantation if they pass the required tests.

At best, this is not a reliable source

As the US government invests millions in the fight against the opioid epidemic, the transplant community is not seeking a long-term source of drug-related organs. "We need to find new ways to source donated organs by using new technologies to improve organ function before transplantation," Mehra suggests.

In euros, there are few organs of drug addicts

The research team also examined data from transplantation in eight European countries. They found that the number of organ donors who died from substance abuse was consistently below one percent. Stehlik sees this number as a successful anti-drug policy in Europe.

May such organs be used in Germany?

The use of donor organs derived from drug-related deaths is possible in Germany. For the time being, these must be examined more thoroughly for infections such as HIV or hepatitis. However, the share hardly plays a role. "The proportion of organs is extremely low," explains Birgit Blome of the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation to the news agency dpa. He had lain in the years 2011 to 2013 at only 0.6 percent of all donors. (Vb)