RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Attitude of the Saudi community towards heart donation, transplantation, and artificial hearts
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 742
OP 747
DO 10.15537/smj.2017.7.18178
VO 38
IS 7
A1 AlHabeeb, Waleed
A1 AlAyoubi, Fakhr
A1 Tash, Adel
A1 AlAhmari, Leenah
A1 AlHabib, Khalid F.
YR 2017
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/38/7/742.abstract
AB Objectives: To understand the attitudes of the Saudi population towards heart donation and transplantation.Methods: A survey using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards organ transplantation and donation was conducted across 18 cities in Saudi Arabia between September 2015 and March 2016.Results: A total of 1250 respondents participated in the survey. Of these, approximately 91% agree with the concept of organ transplantation but approximately 17% do not agree with the concept of heart transplantation; 42.4% of whom reject heart transplants for religious reasons. Only 43.6% of respondents expressed a willingness to donate their heart and approximately 58% would consent to the donation of a relative’s organ after death. A total of 59.7% of respondents believe that organ donation is regulated and 31.8% fear that the doctors will not try hard enough to save their lives if they consent to organ donation. Approximately 77% believe the heart is removed while the donor is alive; although, the same proportion of respondents thought they knew what brain death meant.Conclusion: In general, the Saudi population seem to accept the concept of transplantation and are willing to donate, but still hold some reservations towards heart donation.