Rome – A silent yet hopeful wait involves 48 families across Italy. According to the latest data from the National Transplant Center (CNT), updated as of December 31, 2024, this is how many children and young people between 0 and 17 are on the waiting list to receive a new heart.
A lifesaving procedure that faces daily challenges due to the rarity of pediatric organs and the need for perfect compatibility.
The emergency at Monaldi and the "red code"
The issue has recently received renewed attention due to the dramatic incident unfolding at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples. A two-year-old boy is in extremely urgent conditions awaiting a second transplant.
The little boy had already undergone surgery on December 23, but the procedure was unsuccessful due to poor preservation of the organ during the transfer from Bolzano to the Campania capital.
For him, as for other more serious clinical cases, the national transplant system is on high alert: children in "national" emergency situations automatically become the priority recipients of the first compatible organ that becomes available in Italy.
The criteria: how the single national list works
In Italy, since 1996, the management of these delicate operations has been entrusted to a national pediatric program that provides a single waiting list for all types of transplants. But what determines the allocation of a heart? Compatibility is the key factor and is based on several rigorous parameters:
Blood type: must be ABO compatible.
Size: The organ must be proportionate to the recipient's chest (a critical factor in very young children).
Urgency and seniority: clinical severity and time spent on the waiting list.
Hearts harvested from donors under 18 are primarily intended for pediatric patients. However, the rarity of pediatric deaths makes these organs "precious and rare," sometimes forcing surgeons to consider using organ segments from adults or advanced surgical techniques.
2024 numbers and life prospects
Despite the challenges, the solidarity and surgical effort continues. In 2024, 191 pediatric transplants were performed in Italy, broken down as follows:
79 of liver
76 of kidney
32 of heart
4 of lung
The outlook for those who successfully undergo transplantation is encouraging. These highly specialized procedures guarantee excellent survival rates: between 83% and 90% one year after surgery, and remain at excellent levels (88-90%) even five years later. Although complications such as primary organ failure (the heart not restarting immediately after implantation) are possible risks, modern medical techniques are now able to guarantee these children a good quality of life.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The wait for transplants is very long and difficult for families, especially when small children are involved. We hope that the allocation criteria will become clearer and more fair for all patients.