“We are celebrating a historic achievement in medicine in Portugal and in transplant medicine. In 2024 we will have the highest number of heart transplants ever”, said Nuno Gaibino.

The doctor highlighted that 2014 had been the best year so far, with a record 55 transplants. However, “due to a series of coincidences”, including the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of transplants, which has been recovering and increasing annually.

Last year, 60 hearts were collected, 58 of which were transplanted in the four heart transplant units in the country – Hospital de São João, in Porto, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Hospital de Santa Cruz and Hospital de Santa Marta, both in Lisbon – and two in Spain.

Nuno Gaibino explained that the two hearts were sent to Spain because no suitable recipients were found in Portugal.

“In an effort to not waste any available organs, and also as a matter of solidarity, these two hearts were sent to Spain, where they were transplanted. In total, there were 60 transplants with the 60 hearts collected in Portugal”, highlighted the national transplant coordinator of the Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation (IPST).

Although data on global transplant activity for 2024 will only be presented on April 9, the specialist said that the National Transplant Coordination wanted to share this “very important data” with heart transplant units, but also with the general population.

“This number essentially reflects the work of the team and the national donation and transplant network and, in particular, the four heart transplant units that have been showing very similar proficiency at a national level,” he praised.

According to the person in charge, this work allows for “a networked response and the use of the maximum number of organs” and responding to patients and their needs, “given that, increasingly, heart transplantation appears as the treatment for a terminal illness”.

Portugal has a “heavy burden” of cardiovascular disease and heart failure is a problem, in addition to congenital diseases, and, often, a heart transplant is a “second life” that can be given to these patients.

Asked by Lusa about the patients waiting for a heart transplant, Nuno Gaibino said that, at the end of 2024, there were around 60 patients.

For the coordinator, “the big problem” is the shortage of organs, because the teams “have a response capacity far above this”, but are limited for this reason.

“Every day we face problems in Portugal in the health sector, in the National Health Service”, but the area of ​​transplants continues to be “one of enormous technical differentiation and a great practical demonstration in everyday life of the true potential of the National Health Service”, he highlighted.

He therefore argued that the emphasis should be on the donation part, the identification of more and more organs and the potential to maximise organ collection.