The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has approved a new method of distributing donor hearts that will become effective late this year.
Designed to ensure equitable distribution of donor hearts, the system "establishes more objective medical urgency status levels and gives priority to pediatric patients for hearts retrieved from adolescent donors," UNOS said.
UNOS President Lawrence G. Hunsicker, MD, said that "patients who have the most urgent medical need for a transplant and who have a high likelihood of survival following surgery will have the best chance of getting a heart." The new system will apply only to patients who are not yet on the waiting list.
Patients will be classified under three status levels:
Approved by the UNOS board on June 25, the new system creates 11 regional thoracic organ review boards, which will review status 1A listings to make sure that patients are classified by the correct urgency status. The boards will occasionally review patients listed under status 1B and 2.
The system also sets medical urgency status levels for patients younger than 18 "that reflect the difference in heart disease progression between children and adults," UNOS said. Children up to age 18 will be considered before adult patients for hearts donated by adolescents 11 to 17 years old.
For Your Information:
UNOS press release
http://www.unos.org/Newsroom/archive_newsrelease_062698.htm
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