Every week, one to two people die while waiting for organs - and there are nearly 800 people in the transplant queue in Sweden, according to donation manager Pia Löwhagen Hendén, at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
Last year, 258 deceased people, of which 52 in the Västra Götaland region, became organ donors. This contributed to a total of 900 organs being procured for transplantation.
- It is extensive work in intensive care that made it possible for so many to donate, which led to many more getting the opportunity for a life-saving transplant, says the chief physician.
Must interpret the will of the dead patient
The new law, which entered into force in the summer of 2022, means, among other things, clearer rules regarding how continued intensive care can be done to make more donations possible, but also that the next of kin veto has been removed.
This means that relatives can no longer oppose a donation.
- In practice, we do not override the wishes of relatives, it is not possible. But we want the relatives to interpret what the patient thought, not what they themselves think. That's what the law says.
But according to the new law, you shouldn't have to think about what the relatives think, right?
- If a relative objects to donation, even though it has been interpreted as the deceased patient's will, the relative no longer has the legal right to do so. But we always try to reach consensus.
Can donate a stopped heart
There is also a relatively new form of donation, which according to Pia Löwhagen Hendén, has also contributed to the increase in donors.
- Most patients who donate organs do so with a beating heart because a ventilator helps with oxygenation. But since 2019, you can donate organs even after the heart has stopped. But it still has to take place in an intensive care unit.