The national average waiting time is 194 days; the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais lead the waiting list
The number of patients on the waiting list for a cornea transplant in Brazil has almost tripled in the last 10 years, rising from 10,734 in 2014 to 28,937 in June 2024. The states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais lead the ranking waiting list, with around 12,500 patients. The data was released on Monday (2.Sep.2024) by CBO (Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology).
The entity assesses that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted elective procedures. The most significant increase in the waiting list for a cornea transplant was recorded precisely in 2020, when the total jumped from 12,212 in 2019 to 16,337, an increase of 33%.
In the following years, the waiting list for a cornea transplant continued to grow. Here is the number of people on the waiting list according to the SUS (Unified Health System):
- 2021 – 20,134 people on the waiting list;
- 2022 – 23,946 people on the waiting list;
- 2023 – 26,905 people on the waiting list.
In addition to the interruption of elective surgeries during the pandemic, the CBO cites a lack of donors and improvements in transplant management.
Number of patients
From 2014 to June 2024, a total of 146,534 patients underwent corneal transplants. Currently, the Southeast region has the highest number of patients on the waiting list over the years. São Paulo leads the ranking – in the state, the waiting list has increased considerably, especially from 2019 (2,835) to 2023 (4,587).
In Rio de Janeiro, there was a sharp increase in the waiting list between 2021 (2,898) and 2023 (4,274) – almost 50% in just 2 years. Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco also showed rapid growth in the number of patients waiting. The first went from 52 cases in 2014 to 1,299 in 2023, while the second went from 86 cases to 1,272 in the same period.
In Ceará and Amazonas, the waiting list for a cornea transplant during the period showed a sharp drop of 67% and 77%, respectively. Amapá and Roraima did not present data during the period analyzed.
Waiting time
Regarding the waiting time for transplants, the national average is 194 days, just over 6 months. Of the 26 states and the Federal District, the states with the longest waiting times are Maranhão (595 days) and Pará (594 days), both with around 19 months for a person to receive a transplant. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Ceará, with a 63-day waiting time, Paraná, with 119, and Pernambuco, with 121 days.
For the CBO, the current model has led to distortions in care, such as the existence of queues where patients take years to be seen.
Capacity
The council estimates that, to eliminate the current waiting list for cornea transplants, it would be necessary to almost double the annual transplant capacity. “Last year, the country registered 16,027 procedures, a significant increase compared to previous years, but still insufficient to meet the growing demand”the CBO reported.
This year, up until June, 8,218 cornea transplants were performed, almost 3 thousand of which were in São Paulo.
Brazil currently has 651 teams trained to perform cornea transplants, distributed across 429 authorized services. According to the council, some of them stand out for having the largest number of trained specialists, such as the Hospital de Olhos Capixaba, in Espírito Santo, and the Centro Oftalmológico de Minas Gerais, which each have 14 teams.
“All Brazilian states have teams prepared to carry out this procedure, however, most specialists are in the Southeast and South”said the entity. São Paulo has 210 cornea transplant teams, followed by Minas Gerais (72), Rio de Janeiro (65) and Espírito Santo (31). Outside this axis, Paraná (30), Rio Grande do Sul (28) and Santa Catarina (24) stand out.
Awareness
Another strategy cited by the entity in order to reduce the waiting list for cornea transplants consists of increasing awareness about the importance of organ donation and also about investments in the infrastructure of so-called eye banks throughout the country.
To this end, the entity advocates the continuation of educational campaigns on the subject and improvements in the cornea collection and distribution system as necessary measures to reverse a worrying trend.
The numbers and the entire topic involving bone marrow transplants will be discussed during the 68th edition of the Brazilian Congress of Ophthalmology, organized by the CBO and which will be held between September 4th and 7th in Brasília.
With information from Brazil Agency.
#Waiting #list #cornea #transplants #country #triples #years
