TRANSPLANT
CENTRE

The transplantation of organs is an important focus of Heidelberg University Hospital, whose interdisciplinary activities we summarise under the name Transplant Centre. Together, we provide patients and their relatives with a modern centre of excellence for the transfer of organs.

As one of the most traditional German transplant centres, we can draw on a wealth of experience. Since 1967, over 3100 kidney transplants have been carried out in Heidelberg. Liver transplantation, introduced in 1987, celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2022 with over 1300 transplants. Special programmes for heart, lung and pancreas followed in the early 1990s. Germany's largest department for bone marrow transplants has since also been affiliated with our centre.

The centre has been restructured in order to guarantee patients the highest level of advice, care and specialist expertise. An interdisciplinary team concept and new, gentle transplantation procedures are at the centre of clinical work.

Educate, decide, save lives - for almost 40 years, transplant centres and clinics have been fighting for the public to be more willing to engage with the topic. It concerns us all, because nothing is as certain as death and we will all die somehow at some point, but our organs are still ready for use and are eagerly awaited. Who knows the minimum shelf life of hope? For people on the Eurotransplant list, 10 years of hope is often not enough, as there is still a glaring shortage of donor organs in Germany.

The Organ Donation Action Day at the beginning of June places the issue at the centre of society. What does this have to do with me? If you die sooner, you're dead longer - of course. But my organs can still go on. Somehow do good while I'm no longer here. After all, I no longer need them and so my death would still have a purpose. If not for me, then for the people close to me and, of course, for the recipients of my valuable and life-saving organs.

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The transplantation of organs and tissues has now established itself as an integral part of medical care and can save or significantly improve the lives of many seriously ill people. The TRANSPLANT CENTRE Heidelberg also feels it has a responsibility to inform the public about the possibilities of donating organs and tissues and the requirements for removal and transfer.

In Germany, organ donation is regarded as a joint task and requires close co-operation between all those involved. The aim is to help as many patients on the waiting list as possible by transplanting them with a suitable donor organ. There are currently 8,496 people in Germany waiting for a donor organ, with the need for donor kidneys being the highest. In 2022, a total of 3,372 organs were transplanted in Germany, of which every sixth organ came from a living donation. Despite all good intentions, 743 people on the waiting list died in 2022.

Author: Prof. Dr Martin Zeier (nephrologist)

The figures quoted here in the counter relate exclusively to post-mortem organ donation.

Post-mortem organ donations in Germany in 2022
Source: dso.de