Legal and ethical issues related to nonheart beating organ donation

Major breakthroughs in immunosuppressant medication and advances in surgical techniques have increased the number of successful transplantations, but the demand for organs far outweighs the supply. People continue to die while waiting for donor organs to become available. Nonheart beating organ donation is a means of increasing the supply of organs to be transplanted. It is based on cardiac cessation criteria. This article explores the ethical and legal considerations, as well as implications for perioperative nurses.