Frankfurt am Main – October 29, 2026 -- Germany recorded 772 postmortem organ donors from January to September 2026, up 28 or 3.8% on the same period last year, the Deutsche Stiftung Organtransplantation (DSO) said at the opening of its 22nd Annual Congress.
Organs removed in Germany and allocated through Eurotransplant for transplantation at home or abroad totaled 2,373, compared with 2,258 a year earlier, a gain of 115 organs.
DSO says about 8,000 patients still wait for a donor organ
DSO Medical Director Dr. Axel Rahmel said the positive trend from last year continues but remains well short of what is needed for the roughly 8,000 people on German waiting lists. He cited the lack of a documented decision by potential donors as a key reason for low numbers. Most Germans view donation favorably, but few record that stance in writing, and the resulting uncertainty often leads relatives to refuse consent.
DSO board backs opt-out rule to relieve relatives of proxy decisions
The DSO management board welcomed the renewed political debate on an opt-out system (Widerspruchsregelung). It argued the rule would better reflect broad public support for donation and spare relatives from deciding on the deceased's behalf.
Machine perfusion has been used on more than 500 donor kidneys since early 2026
Commercial Director Thomas Biet said the DSO introduced machine perfusion for donor kidneys at the start of the year. The method has since been applied successfully to more than 500 kidneys. Biet said the DSO is continuing to develop its procedures to prepare donor organs for transplantation.
Hospital association chief ties donation rates to staffing and funding
Dr. Gerald Gaß, Chairman of the German Hospital Federation (Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft), delivered the opening keynote. He said that beyond public trust and self-determined decisions, hospitals need the personnel, organizational and financial capacity to carry out organ donation.
Helene Grass, an actress, described the death of her husband, conductor Lutz Rademacher, who died at 56 in November last year after a sudden cardiac arrest. His donor card, which she found in his wallet, gave the family certainty at the decisive moment.
Congress draws about 800 participants to Frankfurt and online
About 800 participants are attending in Frankfurt am Main or by livestream. The program covers the potential of medical registers such as the transplant register, AI-based forecasting, first German experience with machine perfusion, and new methods for preserving donor hearts. A simulation-based practical course and VR-assisted training address diagnosis of irreversible brain function failure (IHA).
The DSO also recorded the first live episode of its new podcast "7 Leben", aimed at medical professionals. The debut episode covers supporting relatives during IHA diagnostics.