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By Dylana Kneeshaw

ORGAN TRANSPLANT

Organ donation up in first six months of 2021 at Royal Inland Hospital

Oct 13, 2021 | 4:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — According to latest data from BC Transplant, organ donation at Royal Inland Hospital has seen an increase in the first six months of the year.

Dr. Tim Schmidt, the Division Head of Critical Care at RIH in Kamloops, says the hospital sees a yearly average of about five organ donors. This year, Dr. Schmidt says that mark was hit between January and June alone, and the increase had a far reaching impact.

“Fifteen people regained a new quality of life, or actually had their lives saved by receiving organs.”

BC Transplant’s Medical Director of Donation Services, Dr. Sean Keenan, says the first wave of the pandemic did correspond with a reduction in organ donation procedures around B.C as hospital braced for COVID-19 intake, but 2021 has been a different story.

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“Other than that initial dip in the March, April, bit of May in 2020, the number of referrals and the number of people going for organ donations has been higher than its ever been before.”

Elective surgery schedules in B.C have been impacted with hospitals under heightened COVID-19 strain, but organ donation at RIH hasn’t been interrupted. Dr. Schmidt notes the referral rate for the month of May this year hit 81 per cent.

All of the deceased organ donors were individuals in the hospital’s intensive care unit who had previously registered their wish to donate, and their families had discussed next steps with physicians before saying goodbye.

Dr. Schmidt notes an important aspect of organ donation is that the wishes of patients can be fulfilled, and people waiting on a transplant list can also have their quality of life improved, or lives saved.

“These people who need organs can come off of dialysis if they get a kidney, or they can actually survive if they have a heart or lung or liver that will fail and they cannot survive without a heart, lung or liver. These are crucial things to continue to do no matter how strained our resources are.”

In all of 2020, BC Transplant statistics show that the province had 110 deceased organ donors, but year-to-date numbers show there have already been 107 donors.

“On average 10 (donors) a month, we’re seeing much closer to 12 and more per month over the last 12 months at least.” explains Dr. Keenan, “so we have seen this increase everywhere.”

According to Dr. Schmidt the number one donor category is people who experienced a traumatic brain injury in an accident, but in recent years another path has become more prevalent.

“And the other unfortunately is the opioid crisis, which continues to affect so many British Columbians and Canadians across the country and has continued to be again one of the major sources of organ donation.”

While the amount of donors is up so far this year, BC Transplant says the need hasn’t diminished. As of September 30, 645 people in the province are waiting for a transplant. With that, residents who want to donate are asked to register their decision online at www.taketwominutes.ca.