• M Saadé, L Morales-Otero, J Davis, E Torres, Z González, and E A Santiago-Delpín.
• LifeLink of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Transplant. Proc. 2008 May 1; 40 (4): 1005-7.

UnlabelledOrgan transplantation as a substitute for diseased organs in end-stage organ failure has led to a worldwide increase in this treatment modality, but donation has not kept pace with the demand, despite scientific, social, and government efforts. For many years, Hispanic donation in Puerto Rico was meager and lagged behind major centers in North America and Europe. Studies signaled mostly cultural factors in this limited donation. We report a 16-fold increase in organ donation with the development of a formal procurement organization tailored to a local culture.MethodsThe 30-year, 1400-transplant experience of the Puerto Rico Transplant Center was divided in three periods: 1977 through 1893, the latter signaling the approval of a transplant law; 1984 through 1995, signaling the commencement of a formal organ procurement organization; and 1996 through 2006. The subset of 2001 to 2006 was used in an additional calculation against 1984 to 1995.ResultsThe comparison of the mean deceased donors from 1984 to 1995 with 1998 to 2006 shows a 12-fold increase; and the last 6 years versus 1984 to 1995, a 16.8-fold increase.ConclusionCultural and educational obstacles in a given country may be overridden by aggressive administrative and educational approaches and strategic planning tailored to local realities, with improvement in organ transplantation.

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