Brief history of organ transplantation
Organ transplantation is the process of surgically transferring a donated organ to someone diagnosed with organ failure. Many diseases can lead to organ failure, including heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis, cystic fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Injury and birth defects may also cause organ failure. Organ transplants typically include kidney, pancreas, liver, heart, lung, and intestine. Vascularized composite allografts (VCAs), are now also possible. Those are the transplantation of multiple structures that may include skin, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue, including face and hand transplantation. Sometimes, "double" transplants are done, such as kidney and pancreas or heart and lung.
In 1954, the kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully. Liver, heart, and pancreas transplants were successfully performed by the late 1960s, while lung and intestinal organ transplant procedures began in the 1980s. Until the early 1980s, the potential of organ rejection limited the number of transplants performed. Medical advances in preventing and treating rejection led to more successful transplants, and to an increase in demand.
Hospital transplant programs
A transplant program is a component within a licensed acute care hospital that provides transplantation of a particular type of organ, which typically includes heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas or intestine. Washington State-licensed hospitals interested in establishing a transplant program must first receive approval from the Department of Health's Certificate of Need (CoN) Program. CoN approval is required for each type of organ transplantation (including bone marrow) service. After receiving CoN approval, hospitals interested in Medicare reimbursement must meet the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conditions of participation (CoP) for organ transplant programs (specified in 42 CFR §482.68 through §482.104). CMS requires all organ transplant programs be located in a hospital that has a Medicare provider agreement. In addition to meeting the transplant CoPs, the transplant program must also comply with the hospital CoPs (specified in 42 CFR §482.1 through §482.57).
Hospitals with a transplant program (as of July 2018)
Sacred Heart Medical Center
- kidney (adult and pediatric)
- heart (adult)
- lung (adult)
- pancreas (adult)
Seattle Children's Hospital
- kidney (pediatric)
- liver (pediatric)
- heart (pediatric)
- intestine (pediatric)
- bone marrow-autologous and allogeneic (pediatric)
Swedish Medical Center
- kidney (adult)
- liver (adult)
- pancreas (adult)
University of Washington Medical Center
- kidney (adult)
- liver (adult)
- pancreas (adult)
- heart (adult)
- lung (adult)
- intestine (adult)
Virginia Mason Medical Center
- kidney (adult)
- pancreas (adult)
Resources
- The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) administers the country's only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which includes the organ transplant waiting list.
- Organ procurement organizations (organdonor.gov) are responsible for increasing the number of registered donors, and for coordinating the donation process.