107 Children have received a Kidney Transplant at Temple Street over last 13 years
Temple Street marks World Kidney Day 2016 (Thursday 10th March) and the work of the National Organ Procurement Service (NOPS)
(Issue Wednesday 9th March @ 0900 hrs) In the last 13 years, since the National Paediatric Transplantation Programme was established at Temple Street, 107 children from across Ireland have received a kidney transplant at the hospital with 34 children receiving a transplant in the last three years. The youngest recipient of a new kidney is only two years old and the oldest is 17 years of age. Children in Temple Street receive their kidney transplants from living and deceased donors.
Living organ donation usually involves one family member donating an organ to a child, another family member or partner. Typically the relative is related by blood – a parent, brother, sister, or child.
When a potential organ donor is identified usually after BSD (Brain Stem Death) when there is no hope of recovery and the person cannot breathe without the help of a ventilator in one of the 37 ICUs (Intensive Care Units) across the country, the deceased person’s NoK (next-of-kin) is asked for their consent to allow organ donation to take place. This is known as ‘express consent’ or an’ opt-in’ process to becoming an organ donor where the choice and the decision to become an organ donor rests with the NoK of the deceased, including where the deceased person had an organ donor card or had indicated their wish to become an organ donor on their driving licence.
This process is co-ordinated in the 37 ICUs by five National Organ Donation Co-ordinators under the auspices of NOPS (National Organ Procurement Service) who provide a 24/7 service (please see http://www.hse.ie/eng/about/Who/organdonation/).
Speaking in advance of World Kidney Day, Dr Niamh Dolan, Consultant Nephrologist, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital said ‘Temple Street continues to encourage people to carry an organ donor card and to discuss their wishes with family when all is well. Notwithstanding the sometimes tragic circumstances that can surround discussions about organ donation in an ICU, giving the gift of life is the greatest possible act of generosity and many families and individuals take considerable comfort in the knowledge that they, and their loved one, have transformed the lives of others for the better. Therefore on World Kidney Day, Temple Street would also like to acknowledge the NOPS co-ordinators who work in caring diligent and compassionate manner to facilitate the donation of desperately needed organs for transplantation and help families make informed decisions about donation’.
In addition to running the National Paediatric Transplantation Service, Temple Street is also the National Paediatric Haemodialysis Centre where children from all over the country attend Temple Street for dialysis whilst waiting for a donor kidney.
“When a child’s kidneys fail or when they are born without normal kidney function, it is devastating for them and kidney transplantation can be a means to regain a normal life without the highly demanding routine of dialysis” continued Dr Dolan.
Also speaking in advance of World Kidney Day, Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Temple Street Foundation said “For years Temple Street has delivered world-class care in challenging conditions but many of the facilities are struggling to cope. Over the past eighteen months, we have been busy fundraising to build a much-needed Neurology and Renal Outpatients Unit, which will cost €5 million. If you would like to support this appeal please visit our website at www.templestreet.ie.”
ENDS
Editor’s notes
Organ donor cards can be requested from the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) in any of the following ways;
- Freetext DONOR to 50050
- Request your card online at www.ika.ie/card
- Lo call 1890 543 639
- By post to: Freepost, Donor House, Irish Kidney Association, Park West, Dublin 12
- Alternatively you can collect an organ donor card at your local pharmacy, doctor’s surgery, Citizens’ Information Centre.
- You can also sign the back of your driving licence to indicate your wishes or when applying for a new licence you can select to have the code 115 added to the back of your licence showing you are a willing organ donor
For further information and/or to organise an interview, please contact Jane Curtin, Temple Street. Tel.: 087 938 0779