Recipients of organ donations

An organ recipient is a person who has suffered irreversible damage to an organ and needs it replacing as a result.

Some organs are vital, such as the heart, lungs, liver and intestines.

With other organs, such as the kidneys and pancreas, the patient can take advantage of replacement methods while waiting for an organ to become available.

Age limit for organ donation recipients

There is not really an age limit for receiving an organ donation: the patient receiving the organ must simply be well enough to undergo surgery. 

To maximise the chances of success, transplant doctors will not wait until the disease has reached its final stage before placing their patient on a transplant waiting list.

Transplant waiting list

To be eligible for an organ transplant waiting list, potential recipients must first undergo multiple preliminary examinations.

The attending physician will refer the transplant candidate to the surgical team at the transplant centre with which they collaborate. The decision on whether to place someone on the waiting list is made after consultation with all parties involved. 

Once registered, the wait for a transplant begins. This wait can be long, and sometimes too long. Every year, an unfortunately growing number of patients on the transplant waiting list die before being able to receive an organ donation.

For these patients, the anxiety of waiting builds up over time, as the main problem with regard to organ transplantation is the shortage of suitable organs.

Every year spent on the list reduces the patient's chances of receiving a donation.

They will live with the constant anguish that they could die as a result of not receiving a transplant in time, despite the fact that medicine could have saved them.