Heart transplant in Bad Oeynhausen: What needs to be said

17.08.2012 15:30

The events in Göttingen have sparked a broad discussion about the allocation of organ donations. According to Prof. Dr. Jan Gummert, director of the nation's largest heart transplant center at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW (HDZ NRW), Bad Oeynhausen, the information on awarding practices is not presented in enough detail. Generalizations and incorrect brief representations would lead to increasing uncertainty. “If you want to provide correct information, you must first ask: Which organ is it?” says Gummert.

The statement that every fourth donor heart is allocated without a waiting list is simply wrong, emphasized Gummert. Eurotransplant decides which clinic will receive a donor heart solely on the basis of the patients registered on the waiting list. “This also applies if hearts are allocated by Eurotransplant in the so-called accelerated placement process, i.e. after a donor heart has been rejected three times,” emphasizes Gummert. In the case of heart transplants, this commitment is made exclusively via Eurotransplant.
When asked whether the events discussed in Göttingen are also possible in Bad Oeynhausen, the Bad Oeynhausen heart specialist answers: “A clear no to that.” According to the eight-eyes principle, at least four different doctors from the HDZ NRW are involved in the application about the patient's urgency level. “At Eurotransplant, three independent doctors then make the decision as to whether our patient will be admitted there.” This excludes the clinic’s influence on the allocation of donor hearts. “Transplant medicine, which is extremely good in Germany and has been tried and tested for many years, must not fall into disrepute,” demands Gummert. “It is therefore absolutely necessary to pay great attention and care to present such a complex topic as organ donation in a factually correct and transparent manner for everyone.”