Analysis of the Organ Offers Received From European Union Countries Before and After the Introduction of a Dedicated Information Technology Portal: The COORENOR/FOEDUS Portal

Introduction To optimize the use of nontransplantable organs in their own territory, the European Commission, as part of a project led by Italy, has promoted the use of an information technology (IT) portal, the COORENOR portal, developed by the Czech Republic in 2012, which evolved to become FOEDUS in 2015. Methods To evaluate the impact of the portal on our reality, we analyzed the number and type of offers received and organs imported in the previous 48 months (period A) as well as the 48 months after the introduction of the portal (period B). We also examined the origin and the offer mode. Results The offers received were 404 and 753, respectively, in the two periods, with 315 (41.8%) organs received through the portal. The organs transplanted were 53 and 64, respectively, in the two periods; 20 (31.2%) were sent through the portal. The most commonly offered organs are lungs (36.7% and 29.3% of offers in periods A and B, respectively). The most transplanted organ is the liver (59.4% and 45% of transplants in periods A and B, respectively). The use of the portal has gradually increased, growing from 16.4% of the offer mode in 2012 to 84.7% in 2016. Conclusions The increase of offers related to the increase of donations and the attitude to the sharing of resources has determined an increase of 19.2% of total transplants, especially for certain types such as pediatric transplants. The portal, ensuring speed and simultaneity of offer, real time sharing of information and transparency of allocation, is also used for trade in the International Partnership Agreements. Therefore, transplants have been conditioned by the existing agreements with Greece, Malta, and the countries of the South Transplant Alliance.