Maximizing Utilization of Reported Donor Lungs in Eurotransplant: Impact of the Rescue Allocation Policy on Utilization Rates.

Smits JM, van der Bij W, Laufer G, Rahmel AO, Meiser B.

Clinical Transplants 2009, Chapter 8

Summary

Lung donor recognition and treatment should be further improved. In 2007 only 22% of all donors in Eurotransplant were actual lung donors. During the past decade, Eurotransplant has increased the utilization of lung donors from 43% in 1999 to 54% in 2007. Increasing the number of lung transplants should be done by maximizing this utilization rate. Eurotransplant has 4 mechanisms in place in order to ensure that the highest degree of effectiveness is achieved with every reported lung donor. The Eurotransplant rescue allocation policy--which is one of these mechanisms--A ccounted for an additional 16.6% of the total transplant volume.