§ Mr. Spellerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in his publicity for the kidney donor scheme, he will indicate those diseases a history of which is currently considered to make a cadaver kidney unsuitable for transplantation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyWhile there are a number of conditions which would make kidneys unsuitable for transplantation, the decision on the suitability of an individual potential donor is a clinical one for the doctors concerned. I do not believe, therefore, that publicising the diseases, a history of which would make a kidney unsuitable for donation, would be particularly helpful. Moreover much publicity is for organ donation in general, rather than kidney donation in particular, and contra-indications would vary according to the organ concerned.
§ Mr. Spellerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance is given by his Chief Medical Officer as to those diseases, a history of which is a contraindication for the use of the victim's cadaver kidney for transplantation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyGuidance has been provided for health service staff in the code of practice governing the removal of cadaveric organs for transplantation issued by the Department in February 1983, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Section III of that document lists conditions which may render cadaver kidneys unsuitable for transplantation. The Chief Medical Officer has recently advised that, in addition, patients infected with HTLV III antibodies should not be organ donors.