For many years, TSANZ has developed eligibility criteria for patients to be listed for organ transplantation and protocols for the allocation of organs to patients once listed. As part of the implementation of the National Reform Agenda TSANZ received funding from the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority in 2008-09 to:
- develop nationally uniform eligibility criteria to ensure there are equitable and transparent criteria for listing patients for organ transplantation; and
- develop nationally uniform allocation protocols to ensure consistency across Australia in the criteria by which donated organs and tissues are allocated.
TSANZ released the Organ Transplantation From Deceased Donors: Consensus Statement on Eligibility Criteria and Allocation Protocols Version 1.1 on 23 June 2011. You can view this document on line: Organ Transplantation from Deceased Donors – Eligibility Guidelines and Allocation Protocols Vs 1.1
In 2011-12 further changes to the Consensus Statement were proposed by the TSANZ Cardiac, Lung and Renal Transplant Advisory Committees which were approved by TSANZ Council in its March 2012 meeting. Consequently, Version 1.2 was released on 16 May 2012.
Major changes include:
1. Urgent Heart Listing (page 32)
- The removal of a restriction on the number that can be listed in a 12-month period.
- A revision of the protocol to cover the circumstances where there are simultaneously listed urgent patients.
2. Response Time for Kidneys on Offer (page 35)
- A uniform 60 minutes cut-off time set for a unit to accept or decline a kidney offer from a donor after brain or cardiac death.
3. Lung Organ Donor Criteria (Page 38)
- Donor age raised from 5-65 years to 5-70 years.