Organ Donation From a Brain Dead Donor With Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia After Ad26.COV2.S

BackgroundFamilies’ experiences in the hospital influence their decisions about donating organs of brain-dead relatives. Meeting families’ support needs during this traumatic time is an obligation and a challenge for critical care staff.Objectives(1) To elicit family members’ accounts of various types of support received and perceived quality of care for themselves and their loved ones when they made the donation decision, and (2) to examine the relationship between these factors and the families’ donation decision.MethodsRetrospective telephone interviews of 199 families from different regions of the country were completed. Aside from demographic data, the survey addressed perceptions of informational, emotional, and instrumental support and quality of care.ResultsOne hundred fifty-four study participants consented to donation; 45 declined. White next of kin were significantly more likely than African Americans to consent. Specific elements of reported support were significantly associated with consent to donate. Donor and nondonor families had differing perceptions of quality care for themselves and their loved ones. Receiving understandable information about organ donation was the strongest predictor of consent.ConclusionsSpecific supportive behaviors by staff as recounted by family members of potential donors were significantly associated with consent to donation. These behaviors lend themselves to creative training and educational programs for staff. Such interventions are essential not only for next of kin of brain-dead patients, but also for staff and ultimately for the public as a whole.

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Vagal stimulation in brain dead donor rats decreases chronic allograft nephropathy in recipients

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ◽

10.1093/ndt/gft451 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 544-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

S. Hoeger ◽

J. Fontana ◽

J. Jarczyk ◽

J. Selhorst ◽

R. Waldherr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vagal Stimulation ◽

Chronic Allograft Nephropathy ◽

Brain Dead ◽

Brain Dead Donor

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Brain Death and Organ Donation

10.2310/tywc.1459 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas I. Cochrane

Keyword(s):

Brain Death ◽

Organ Donation ◽

Cardiac Death ◽

Donation After Cardiac Death ◽

Donation After Brain Death ◽

Brain Death Determination ◽

Brain Dead ◽

American Academy Of Neurology ◽

Death Determination

Brain death is the state of irreversible loss of the clinical functions of the brain. A patient must meet strict criteria to be declared brain dead. They must have suffered a known and demonstrably irreversible brain injury and must not have a condition that could render neurologic testing unreliable. If the patient meets these criteria, a formal brain death examination can be performed. The three findings in brain death are coma or unresponsiveness, absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnea. Brain death is closely tied to organ donation, because brain-dead patients represent approximately 90% of deceased donors and thus a large majority of donated organs. This review details a definition and overview of brain death, determination of brain death, and controversy over brain death, as well as the types of organ donation (living donation versus deceased donation), donation after brain death, and donation after cardiac death. A figure presents a comparison of organ donation after brain death and after cardiac death, and a table lists the American Academy of Neurology Criteria for Determination of Brain Death. This review contains 1 highly rendered figure, 3 table, and 20 references.

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