Qatar to Participate in European Organ Donation Congress Due in Vienna on Sept.8-11

Doha, August 20 (QNA) -Hamad Medical Corporations (HMC) Qatar Organ Donation Center will participate in the 16th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation, scheduled to take place in Vienna from 8 to 11 September 2013. Head of the Qatar Organ Donation Center, Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani, will present a study entitled Organ donations from brain dead donors; challenges and prospects. The study details HMCs experience with both retrieving organs from brain dead donors and successfully transplanting those organs. "Diseases associated with the failure of one of the bodys organs, such as kidney failure, are being more commonly diagnosed as a result of the increasing incidence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Organ transplantation is considered the best treatment for kidney and liver failure and corneal damage. "HMC has been successfully performing transplant surgeries for a number of years with organs retrieved from both living donors and brain dead donors, after the necessary legal consents from their families has been received," said Dr. Al Maslamani. Dr. Al Maslamani said HMC is planning to use the study to develop the objectives for the Qatar Organ Donation Center and to find solutions to the challenges that face organ donation and transplant operations. The findings of the study will also be used to make future plans for the Center. The study demonstrates the process of how potential brain dead organ donor candidates are identified and reveals the number of transplants carried out at HMC using organs received from brain dead donors. The study also highlights some of the challenges the transplant coordination team faces when seeking the necessary approvals from the donors family. Statistics indicate that 8 kidney transplants and 2 liver transplants were carried out at HMC during 2012. Moreover, 550 patients are currently receiving peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis at HMC, treatments for chronic kidney disease, with 80 of these patients meeting the criteria to be placed on the kidney transplant waiting list. In addition, there are currently 14 patients on the waiting list for liver transplants. (QNA)