Transplant triumph

CORNEAL transplants have increased by 40 per cent in the province of Alicante thanks to a campaign implemented in the different hospitals of the province to attract a new donor profile.

Until now patients who die of cancer, very advanced respiratory and cardiac pathologies, or neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) were unable to donate.

The new awareness campaign has made it possible to reduce the waiting list for a corneal transplant intervention, which previously was up to a year.

Doctor Miguel Perdiguero, Head of the Transplant Coordination Service of the Alicante General Hospital, confirmed: “There are problems with the waiting list for corneal transplants, which leads us to look for other scenarios of potential donors and that is what we are doing, we are trying to create a culture of donation.

“The relatives of cancer patients feel very comforted that after suffering from such an awful disease something good can come out of it. Cancer patients and others such as ALS patients or those with heart disease cannot generally donate organs such as kidneys, livers or lungs, but they can donate corneas.”