Organs ’too risky’ to donate may be safer than we think

Detailed infectious virus testing shows potential for increasing organ donation in Australia, by including people previously ineligible due to increased risk of blood-borne viruses, writes Dr Karen Waller and Prof Angela Webster. Organs from potential donors once rejected as being unsafe to transplant may not be as risky as once thought, new Australian research shows. Our study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia , suggests organs from injecting drug users or men who have sex with men, for instance, could safely open up the pool of available organs. That's so long as donors test negative for blood-borne infections, such as HIV, and hepatitis B and C. Currently, organs from this and other groups considered high risk are often rejected outright, for fear of transmitting hidden infections to the recipient. If transplant criteria were based on viral status rather than belonging to a particular group, we estimate this could mean up to 30 more people could receive a transplant a year in NSW alone. Which high-risk groups are usually rejected as donors?. Many infections can potentially be transmitted as a result of an organ transplant.