WebMD For Some Patients Increased-Risk Transplant Safer Than Waiting Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 13 November 2018 15:29 PM America/Los_Angeles WebMD For Some Patients Increased-Risk Transplant Safer Than Waiting Since 2010, Cedars-Sinai has performed more adult heart transplants annually than any other U.S. medical center. Image by Getty. WebMD's Kathy Doheny recently interviewed Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of the Heart Transplant Program at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, on the pros and cons of receiving an organ from an "increased risk" donor. Many patients in need of organ transplants are wary of receiving an organ from any donor with less than perfect health. But a new research study found that accepting an increased-risk organ -- such as one from a donor who might have used drugs or contracted a sexually transmitted disease -- could mean a better chance at long term survival. Specifically, researchers found that accepting a heart from an increased-risk donor resulted in a higher one-year survival rate for patients than declining that offer and waiting for a different organ. As patients waited, some who declined the increased-risk organ died or became too sick to have a transplant, the researchers report. Kobashigawa told WebMD, "People may not truly understand what the term 'increased risk' means -- that it describes things about the donor but not the donated organ What is needed is a mindset shift. We don't think of it as taking risks; we think of it as saving lives." Patients tend to focus on infection risk, he finds. "When you are a patient and you hear you might get an infection from this donor, you get a little concerned," Kobashigawa told WebMD. When a heart from an increased risk donor becomes available, Kobashigawa told WebMD that he tells patients that ''the risk of getting an infection from these donor hearts is very small." And, he emphasizes, ''we save these increased-risk organs for the urgent patients, where the benefits clearly outweigh the risks." Cedars-Sinai patients who do accept an increased-risk organ are followed closely to look for infections or other issues. "We are not using enough donor hearts," says Kobashigawa. "That's why this paper is so timely. It points out we can use more donor hearts and therefore save people." Today, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the nonprofit that manages the nation's organ transplant system, more than 114,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants. Since 2010, Cedars-Sinai has performed more adult heart transplants annually than any other U.S. medical center, according to UNOS. Click here to read the complete WebMD article. Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release WebMD For Some Patients Increased-Risk Transplant Safer Than Waiting Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home