Cases like that of Fernando Silva, from Americana, help explain the increase in the queue for transplants in the state of São Paulo, which exceeds 29 thousand people.
By EPTV 2
Salesman Fernando Silva, from Americana, has been waiting for a kidney transplant for 9 years. He is among the more than 29 thousand patients in line in São Paulo.
Silva lost his kidney functions due to childhood diabetes. He waited 5 years for a double transplant, but tests found that he could not perform the surgery.
The queue in São Paulo grew 11% compared to the previous year. Security guard Julio Cesar, from Campinas, returned to the list after losing his transplanted kidney due to Covid-19.
Coordinator Francisco Monteiro explains that the lack of organs leads to deaths in the queue. Family awareness can increase the number of authorized donors by up to 35%.
The routine of salesman Fernando Silva, from Americana (SP), is marked by hemodialysis sessions that last up to four hours, at least three times a week. Having been waiting for an organ transplant for nine years, he illustrates the plight of more than 29,000 patients waiting for surgery in the state of São Paulo.
The seller lost kidney function due to diabetes discovered in childhood. In an attempt to solve both health problems at once, he waited five years for a double transplant.
"When I was called to do this [pancreas and kidney] transplant, when I got there during the last exams, it was found that I couldn't do it. So I left that queue and joined the kidney-only queue", recalls the patient.
While the call for surgery does not arrive, the salesman tries to support himself by working from home between treatments, as the filtering of blood through needles leaves him physically weakened.
“It weakens me a lot and it’s difficult for me to get out,” he says.
Salesman Fernando Silva, from Americana (SP), has been waiting on the transplant queue for nine years — Photo: Reproduction/EPTV
Currently, the list for a transplant in São Paulo accounts for an 11% increase in the number of people compared to the previous year.
Security guard Julio Cesar, 46 years old, from Campinas, returned to the statistic in 2022, after having already had the experience of receiving a new kidney in the past.
“During the pandemic, I ended up catching Covid, I felt unwell, I spent 36 days in the ICU and ended up losing my kidney again”, laments Julio.
He reports the difficulty of returning to severe medical restrictions.
"We get anxious. What's it like to live being able to drink water, drink normal liquids and, suddenly, having to stop all of that", he says.
Queue mortality
In the state of São Paulo, the waiting list has death rates that vary according to the organ in need:
Liver: 33%;
Heart: almost 25%;
Lung: 13%;
Kidney: 7%.
The coordinator of the State Transplant System, Francisco Monteiro, explains that there are not enough organs to meet the demand.
"The mortality rate on the list varies a lot. According to the patient's severity, the waiting time for a transplant. As I don't have an organ for everyone at the same speed, it can also lead to death", he highlights.
Family refusal
Maintaining the lives of those in line requires complex procedures. In many cases, especially for heart or liver patients, there is a need for prolonged hospitalizations and continuous use of invasive medications.
To reverse the waiting scenario and increase the chances of survival, health professionals encounter an obstacle.
Brazilian legislation determines that donation only occurs with express authorization from the family, which makes raising awareness among relatives the main solution to leverage the procedures.
"With this [awareness] I would gain 30% to 35% more donors that today are discarded because the family does not authorize it", concludes Monteiro.
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