Interim report of the Japanese original donor evaluation and management system: the medical consultant system

Single lung retrieval from a donor supported by a left ventricular assist device

The number of patients who need cardiac support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has increased over the last decade. However, the number of reports of organ retrieval from donors with an LVAD is still small. Successful lung retrieval for single lung transplantation was performed from a donor on LVAD support. This required special care not to injure the heart, great vessels, and the device, particularly the outflow conduit, because of significant conglutination around the device. A right single lung transplantation was performed successfully, with no postoperative complications. This means that patients on an LVAD could be potential donors for lung transplantation.

The current status and future perspectives of organ donation in Japan: learning from the systems in other countries

The revised Organ Transplant Law came into effect in Japan in July 2010. The law allows for organ procurement from brain-dead individuals, including children, with family consent from subjects who had not previously rejected organ donation. Nevertheless, the number of cadaveric organ donations has not increased as expected. The Spanish Model is widely known as the most successful system in the field of organ donation. The system includes an earlier referral of possible donors to the transplant coordination teams, a new family-based approach and care methods, and the development of additional training courses aimed at specific groups of professionals, which are supported by their corresponding societies. South Korea, a country which neighbors Japan, has recently succeeded in increasing the rates of organ donation by introducing several systems, such as incentive programs, an organ procurement organization, a donor registry, and a system to facilitate potential donor referral. In this review, we present the current status of organ donation in Japan and also explore various factors that may help to improve the country's low donation rate based on the experiences of other developed countries.