[Standards of visceral organ procurement]

Due to poor willingness in the population to donate organs and increasing number of patients on the waiting list for organ transplantation there is an imminent need on cadaveric organs. Although efforts have been to optimize the prerequisites for organ donation, less than 50% of possible organ harvesting procedures take place. In our country, only 13.1 organ donations .per 1 million inhabitants were realized in 2001. These data force the medical community to maximize the utility of the donor pool. A refined surgical technique, increased efficacy of solutions for graft conservation, an advanced perioperative management and new potent immunosuppressive drugs contributed to a post-transplant 1-year graft and patient survival of up to 80 to 90%. The quality of a graft has a significant impact on the outcome of transplantation. An optimal graft function will not only be achieved with an adequate surgical and preservation technique but also with an appropriate management of the brain-dead donor on the intensive care unit. Basic knowledge of brain death definition, insight into the organization of organ donation, management of the donor, and modern surgical harvesting techniques are presented.