Italian organ transplant supply still short of demand:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Italy performed 3,216 organ transplants last year, up almost 17% annually, from 2,756, but this still falls far short of the actual need. According to the 2004 health ministry report, around 1,750 patients received a kidney, 1,020 a liver, 353 a heart, 82 a lung, 94 a pancreas and seven underwent intestinal transplant. By contrast, the numbers of patients waiting for an organ at the end of 2004 were around: 6,600 for a kidney, 1,460 for a liver, 640 for a heart, 210 for a pancreas and 250 for a lung. Italy ranks second in the EU by number of donors, at 21.1 per million inhabitants (dpm) - Spain is claiming the world leadership in transplant activity, at 34.6 dpm in 2004, up 3.5% since 2003.