Wednesday, July 18, 2012

How do they choose?

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while now, as the most common question I get asked is "where are you on the list?"



The list is really just a list. There's not really an order. I have six weekly reviews where they check for deterioration etc.

The full TSANZ Protocol is here, but this is a quick summary from the site:


Donor lungs will be allocated considering the following criteria: 


1. ABO compatibility (blood group)
2. Size compatibility                 
3. The absence of a positive T cell crossmatch

Where more than one potential recipient meets the above criteria the first choice will be determined by the following process:

4. Clinical urgency*
    Logistics**                          
    Long-term outcome benefit***
5.  Recipient waiting time, all other factors being equal


1 comment:

Michelle said...

That's pretty interesting, Cam. I too wondered about the "List" but figured it would have to also come down to suitability, sustainability and urgency. Otherwise it just wouldn't make sense.

Damn those TV medical dramas and their mention of "you're at the top of the list" lists!