J Korean Soc Transplant.  1999 Jun;13(1):155-164.

Potential Organ Donor Pool for Renal Transplantation in Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room : Single center study for donor action program

• Kim SC
• Jang HJ
• Kim TH
• Ha HS
• Hong JJ
• Han DJ

Abstract

Organ shortage remains a main obstacle to the development of organ transplantation for end stage organ disease. Identification of potential donors is a key point of donation/transplantation process. We evaluated the entire potential organ donor developed in intensive care unit and emergency room to find out the way to improve the real donation program .Pro-and retrospective analysis were performed in death patient occurred in intensive care unit and emergency room between May. 1997 and Oct. 1997. There are 394 death patients in ICU and 324 in ER during study period. 293 patients (74.3%) were eliminated by age under 1 year or over 70 years, and medical disease unsuitable for organ transplantation. After a series of elimination due to no possibility of brain death or organ unsutability, 35 patients (8.9%) finally were found to be a acceptable potential donors for organ transplantation in ICU, and 3 (0.9%) in ER. 28 of the 35 potential donors (80.0%) were found in neurology or neurosurgery ICU. Causes of brain death in 35 potential donors were traumatic intracerebral injury in 10 (29.4%), and non traumatic intracranial cerebral catastrophe in 21 (61.8%). Actual multiorgan harvest was performed in 2 (5.7%) among 35 medically acceptable potential donors in ICU. Three (8.6%) among 35 potential donors refused organ donation by donor families, 29 (82.9%) could not be actual donors due to absence of any information on organ donation to families of donors. Conclusively organ donation rate and efficacy from the potential donor are very poor in this series. Comprehensive donor action programs including practical donor detection program with donor linker, education program to medical staff and public are mandatory to increase the cadaveric organ donation effectively.

Keyword

Potential organ donor; Organ transplantation; Donor action program

MeSH Terms

Brain Death
Cadaver
Critical Care*
Education
Emergencies*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Humans
Intensive Care Units*
Kidney Transplantation*
Medical Staff
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Organ Transplantation
Retrospective Studies
Tissue and Organ Procurement
Tissue Donors*
Transplants