1,000 of the hardest-to-match patients have received a kidney transplant thanks to cross-Canada organ sharing program

(OTTAWA) – Canadian Blood Services, on behalf of Canada’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation community, is excited to announce that the Highly Sensitized Patient (HSP) program has facilitated 1,000 kidney transplants. These 1,000 kidney transplants represent 1,000 people who very likely would not have otherwise received a transplant because they needed a very specific match.

The Highly Sensitized Patient program, which was launched in 2013, is a national organ sharing program operated by Canadian Blood Services in collaboration with all provincial donation and transplant programs and organ donation organizations. The program gives provincial transplant programs access to a larger national pool of kidney donors for highly sensitized patients.

“This milestone is thanks to the collaborative efforts of transplant programs, health-care professionals, organ donation organizations, and most importantly the generosity of donors and their families who made the selfless decision to donate their organs.” Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services says. “This act of generosity has made an incredible difference for 1,000 of the hardest-to-match transplant candidates, their families and communities, whose lives have been forever impacted by their gift.”

What does being highly sensitized mean? 

‘Highly sensitized’ means that the patients have exceptionally high antibody levels that will cause them to reject a kidney from most donors. This makes it very difficult to find a suitable donor match. Immune system sensitization may be a result of blood transfusions, previous transplants or pregnancies. 

About 20 per cent of patients on provincial waitlists are highly sensitized and need a kidney transplant. Yet, these same patients historically receive nearly less than one per cent of available organs. With access to a limited number of donors in their home province, highly sensitized patients wait much longer for a kidney transplant than less sensitized patients and have a greater chance of becoming more ill or dying while they wait. By providing access to donors across the country, the Highly Sensitized Patient program increases the chances of possibly finding kidney transplants for these patients. 

Building on the success of last year’s Kidney Paired Donation milestone 

These 1,000 transplants through the Highly Sensitized Patient program come soon after 1,000 transplants facilitated through the national Kidney Paired Donation program, which is also operated by Canadian Blood Services in collaboration with transplant and living donation programs across Canada. Thanks to these two programs that match people who need a kidney transplant with potential donors across provincial boundaries, 2,000 people have received a life-changing kidney transplant. 

We encourage all Canadians to register their decision to become an organ and tissue donor and to share their decision with their family and loved ones. Spread awareness of organ and tissue donation in your community and join us as we work towards a day when no one in Canada dies while waiting for a transplant. 

Learn more about deceased donation and how you can register your intent to donate at blood.ca/HSP1000.
 
If you have already registered your decision to become an organ and tissue donor, you can help patients today by donating blood or plasma. Book an appointment at blood.ca.  

Facts and stats 

• More than 2,500 Canadians are on a waiting list for kidney transplantation. About one-quarter of these patients are eligible to participate in the HSP program. 
• As many as half the patients hoping to find a match through the HSP program are compatible with only 1 in 10,000 donors. That means that if every single person attending a hockey game at one of Canada’s major arenas was an organ donor, at most two people would be a match for these patients. 
• The majority of the transplants facilitated by the HSP program are interprovincial, with more than 600 interprovincial transplants completed to date. 
• Deceased donation is the process of giving one's organs or tissue at the time of their death for the purpose of transplantation to another person. A single organ donor has the potential to provide as many as eight organs for transplant. 
• On average, 250 Canadians die each year waiting for an organ transplant. 
• Public opinion data shows that 90 per cent of Canadians approve of organ and tissue donation yet, only 32 per cent say they have registered their decision to become an organ and tissue donor. 

About Canadian Blood Services 

Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization. Regulated by Health Canada as a biologics manufacturer and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, Canadian Blood Services operates with a national scope, infrastructure and governance that make it unique within Canadian healthcare. In the domain of blood, plasma and stem cells, we provide services for patients on behalf of all provincial and territorial governments except Quebec. The national transplant registry for interprovincial organ sharing and related programs reaches into all provinces and territories, as a biological lifeline for Canadians. 

For more information, please contact: 

TEL. 1-877-709-7773
EMAIL media@blood.ca