B.C. transplant specialist says drug overdose organ donors on the rise
VANCOUVER — There has been a spike in the proportion of organs coming from donors who have died of drug overdoses in British Columbia, says a leading transplant specialists.
Dr. David Landsberg, head of the province’s renal transplant program, said 25 per cent of the deceased donors that have come into the program so far in 2017 were the result of overdoses.
“Unfortunately, always when there is a donation there’s been a tragedy,” Landsberg said. “But for patients who have been in desperate need of transplants, it’s been a blessing.”
B.C.’s chief medical officer declared a state of emergency 10 months ago over the number of overdose deaths. The crisis saw 914 people die in the province last year from illicit drugs, a significant portion of which were linked to the deadly opioid fentanyl. Figures released by the coroner’s office on Friday showed 116 people died in January from illicit drug overdoses.