Faustão has been waiting for new organs for a year; learn how the transplant waiting list works.

Fausto Silva , also known as Faustão , underwent two transplants this week at the Hospital Israelita Einstein in São Paulo. The 75-year-old presenter received a new liver and underwent a kidney transplant , according to the medical team's report to the press.

The surgery took place during the communicator's last hospitalization to treat a resistant bacterial infection and sepsis — a generalized infection.

According to the bulletin, the transplants only “took place after Einstein was contacted by the São Paulo State Transplant Center and confirmed the compatibility of the organs donated by a single donor.”

+ Hospitalized for more than 2 months, Faustão undergoes two new transplants

But after all, how does the transplant list work in Brazil?

The list covers all patients, regardless of whether they are covered by the Unified Health System (SUS) or the private sector. The queue is organized according to medical criteria that determine the order of priority.

Blood compatibility is the first factor to be analyzed. After that, there's a weight, height, and genetic compatibility test between donor and recipient.

It is worth noting that each type of organ has its own severity criteria, therefore, the order in the queue may change during the waiting process for the organ to be donated.

Another important factor: when two or more patients present similar characteristics, the order in which they are registered on the list serves as the final criterion.

Exceptions

Patients at higher risk of death are prioritized over those with stable clinical conditions. Exceptions include patients who can no longer undergo dialysis, have liver failure, or are rejecting a previously transplanted organ.

Faustão's Transplant

Faustão underwent his first organ transplant in August 2023, when he received a new heart due to heart failure.

About six months later, in February 2024, the presenter underwent a new transplant, this time of a kidney, as the organs had been compromised since the first procedure.

At the time, he waited two months in line to receive the new organ. Regarding the transplants performed this week, the veteran communicator had been waiting for a year, according to a hospital bulletin.

Transplants in numbers

Brazil performed 5,755 organ transplants in 2025, until the beginning of August, according to information on the website of the Federal Government's Ministry of Health.

The majority were kidney transplants, with 3,847 procedures. Second were liver transplants, with 1,516 surgeries.

This entire system is coordinated by the Ministry of Health, which organizes everything from organ procurement to distribution to hospitals.