In 2021, we performed 420 organ transplantations, of which 24 on children. This was the second highest annual number of organ transplantations in our history.
We have centralized national responsibility for all organ transplantations in Finland. We perform organ transplantations on adult patients at Meilahti Tower Hospital and on child patients at the New Children’s Hospital.
In 2021, our intensive care units continued to be well prepared to cater to organ donors alongside caring for coronavirus patients.
- We performed 268 kidney transplantations, of which 11 on children. This included 46 transplantations from a live donor.
- We performed 75 liver transplantations, of which six on children.
- We performed 31 pancreas transplantations, of which one without a kidney transplantation.
- We performed 22 heart transplantations on adult and child patients and 24 lung transplantations on adult patients.
The number of kidney transplants from living organ donors has increased thanks to active training and awareness-raising. We performed 15 more such transplants than in 2020.
Pilot for DCDD launched
In September 2021, we started our DCDD pilot project. DCDD stands for donation after circulatory determination of death. In this pilot, we performed 8 successful kidney transplants. We will evaluate the activities after the pilot ends.
At the end of 2021, there were several hundred patients waiting for an organ transplant. For a few patients each year, a suitable transplant cannot be found in time. It is thus necessary to increase the number of organ donations per year.