Transplant committees review organ transplant candidates to determine if they should be added to a list of potential recipients based on factors such as health and medical history. The committee creates a score for each patient, which is used to distribute organs when they become available. They also sponsor public education and events for transplant recipients.
A transplant committee is a hospital committee that meets to discuss issues related to organ transplantation. One of the most crucial roles of a transplant committee involves reviewing organ transplant candidates to determine whether or not they should be added to a list of potential organ recipients. Working on a transplant committee can be very demanding and extremely stressful, as well as emotionally taxing.
When a doctor decides that his patient needs a new organ, the doctor takes the patient’s case to the transplant committee. The committee considers factors such as the patient’s health and age, along with medical history. If the patient is deemed too healthy to have a critical need, the organ request will be denied, although the transplant committee will reconsider if the patient’s health deteriorates. Patients who are extremely ill or suffering from multiple organ failure may also be excluded. The goal is not to play God, but to donate organs to needy patients with the best chance of survival.
Many factors in a patient’s medical history are taken into consideration by a transplant committee, because certain things in the medical history can cause a patient to be removed from the organ recipient list. For example, patients with a history of eating disorders or suicide attempts may not be considered for a transplant. After the transplant committee has thoroughly reviewed the patient’s case, it decides whether or not to approve the patient for listing. If the patient is listed, the transplant committee creates a score for the patient that indicates how critical the need for her is.
As a patient’s health changes, their score can go up or down. Doctors try to keep their patients’ scores as up-to-date as possible, since when organs become available, the scores are used to distribute them. Most donor organs are routed through central organizations such as the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the United States. People can also make private arrangements for the donation of living organs and tissue, as might happen when a family member agrees to donate a kidney to a patient in need.
In addition to making organ transplant decisions, many transplant committees also sponsor public education and events for transplant recipients. A transplant committee often liaises with the organ procurement committee at its hospital and may host an annual party for people who have received donor organs. Recipients who wish to write letters to donor families often refer them through their transplant committee.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
