Julio García
Tissue implantation is a consolidated therapeutic activity in Spain for the treatment of very diverse pathologies; in some cases, the properties of these tissues make them the only possible treatment option for the patient. A single tissue donor can help around 100 people.
According to the Ministry of Health, last year, thanks to the generosity of 6,780 tissue donors (141.2 per million population [pmp]), 46,292 implants of all types of tissue for different clinical applications were carried out in Spain. This is evident from the report that the National Transplant Organisation (ONT) has just published.
Spain is the country in the world with the highest rate of organ donation thanks to the so-called Spanish Model for Organ Donation and Transplantation, which has become an international benchmark, to the point that the Transplant Committee of the CoE, the EU and the WHO have recommended that their Member States adopt the elements of the “Spanish model”.
However, the ONT report indicates that with tissue donation “the same does not happen”, possibly due to its different consideration. National tissue donation activities have not been able to match the success of the organ donation model to the same extent, although they also assume recognised relevance at European level, although there are possibilities for improvement and opportunities to achieve the same level of excellence achieved in organ donation.
Unlike organs, tissues can be stored for long periods of time, ensuring their quality and safety so that specialists can request the tissue required for the treatment of patients at the right time. In Spain, there are 50 establishments that process and store tissues, 229 procurement centres and 622 implant centres that have the specific authorisation to carry out the corresponding activity.
Of the almost 6,800 tissue donors in 2023, 4,398 (91.6 pmp) donated tissue after their death and 2,382 (49.6 pmp) did so while alive, which includes 946 calvarial collections (for autotransplantation) and 948 amniotic membrane donations. This is the highest number of tissue donations recorded in recent years and represents an increase of almost 60% compared to 2022. However, this growth may be partially attributable to an improvement in the communication and registration of data by the Autonomous Communities.
Catalonia (239.7 pmp) led the rate of tissue donation from deceased people in Spain, followed by the Balearic Islands (108.4 pmp) and Galicia (85.1 pmp). The autonomous communities that experienced the greatest growth over the last year were the Balearic Islands (+214.4%), Aragon (+62.7%) and Castile and Leon (+54.7%).
