Four out of five donor hearts for Swiss children come from abroad

Keystone / Martial Trezzini

Four out of five donor hearts which are transplanted into Swiss children come from outside the Alpine country, according to the director of Swisstransplant.

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The mortality rate of children who need a donor heart has fallen to 15%, Franz Immer, the director of Swisstransplant, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on Saturday.

When he started at the organisation around 16 years ago, the mortality rate for children who needed a donor heart was still 80%.

+ Why the Swiss are donating more organs for transplant

Between 350 and 400 organs are listed on the European platform of the European organisation Foedus every year, Immer said. The most common organs are hearts, followed by lungs and livers. The organisation was founded because it is often not possible to find a recipient, especially for children in their own country.

Four hours transport

Last year, Switzerland imported 45 organs and exported 26 organs, said Immer. The aim is to keep exports and imports in balance. Transporting an organ costs around CHF20,000, depending on the distance. “It shouldn’t take more than four hours to transport a heart,” said Immer.

+ Organ donation: lifting the burden on those left behind

He explained that a heart transplant costs around CHF150,000, while a kidney transplant costs CHF60,000. Dialysis, on the other hand, costs CHF100,000 a year. “With 300 transplants, the potential savings amount to half a billion francs per year,” Immer estimates.

All-time high

Last year, more organs were donated in Switzerland than ever before. A total of 675 people on the waiting list received an urgently needed organ in 2023.

In 2022, the Swiss electorate approved the so-called extended opt-out solution. It is expected to come into force in 2026. This means that all people who have not refused to donate an organ during their lifetime will be considered organ donors. A person’s relatives can still prevent the removal of organs.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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