Cardiology grapples with insufficient availability of donated heart organs.
Heart issues, specifically heart weakness, continue to pose a significant health concern in Germany. The German Heart Report - Update 2024, released by the German Heart Foundation and professional societies in cardiology, cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiology, and cardiovascular rehabilitation, reveals that up to four million people in Germany grapple with this problem. This annual assessment of heart medicine, according to Thomas Voigtländer, a board member of the German Heart Foundation, aims to shed light on the state of heart health in Germany.
Heart weakness, commonly known as heart failure, is the leading cause for hospitalization due to heart diseases, surpassing even coronary heart diseases and heart rhythm disorders. In 2022, heart failures claimed the lives of 37,570 individuals in Germany. Lack of exercise, obesity, aging, and genetics are the primary contributors to this health issue. Other diseases such as high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, which obstruct blood flow to the heart muscle, are often the catalysts for heart weakness and sudden cardiac death. Lack of exercise and obesity are the main risk factors.
Apart from these factors, age and genetics also play a role. Men are disproportionately affected, with 50% of heart failure patients losing their lives within six years of diagnosis. However, the scarcity of donor organs in Germany limits the number of transplantations.
Urgent cases within a short timeframe
Recently, Franziska Bleis was one of the many waiting for a donor heart. A healthy 37-year-old in 2019, she contracted a common cold, which later developed into a severe heart muscle inflammation. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, necessitating hospitalization and her transformation into a heart patient. She was on the brink of death multiple times, requiring resuscitation. Upon realization that she needed a donor heart, she was placed on an urgent list. She eventually received a donor organ.
In 2022, 678 adults and 21 children were on the waiting list for a donor heart in Germany, as per data from Eurotransplant and the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation. The total number of transplantations stood at 42 children and 316 adults, with 98 organs sourced from abroad. Despite Germany being a member of the Eurotransplant consortium, it is the only country without an opt-out system for organ donation.
In Germany, organ donation only occurs when someone has given explicit consent before death, such as through an organ donor card, or if the family approves. The concept of an opt-out system, where everyone is considered a potential organ donor unless they opt out, is often discussed in light of the donor organ shortage. In this system, the burden of explicit consent shifts to those who choose to opt out.
The German Heart Report highlights the role of the health system in addressing heart weakness, as up to four million people in Germany struggle with this issue. The healthcare system, including cardiology, cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiology, and cardiovascular rehabilitation, needs to collaborate to improve heart health in the country.
In the case of Franziska Bleis, the urgency of her heart failure required intervention from the German health system. Despite being on an urgent list, she ultimately received a donor heart, which underscores the importance of a functioning health system in cases of organ transplantation.
