[Acute poisonings and organ donation--case reports and literature review]

Poland is one of the European countries where serious problem of shortage of organ donors is observed. Organ donation from victims following fatal acute intoxications is extremely rare, and there's only several such case reports published in Poland. There's a need to establish guidelines of instrumental confirmatory tests of brain death determination according to acute poisonings. Authors present two cases of poisoned donors following acute poisonings with drugs. Current opinions concerning poisoned patients as a potential organ donors are also described. Case 1: A 36-years old male poisoned intentionally with insulin was admitted to Toxicology Department in Poznań. Patient was unconscious (GCS:3), hypoglycemic (glycaemia: 0). In 3rd day of treatment brain death was determined using clinical tests and instrumental confirmatory test (transcranial Doppler ultrasonography). Both kidneys were procured for transplantation. Case 2: A 23-years old male after prehospital sudden cardiac arrest in the course of suicidal carbamazepine intoxication was admitted to Toxicology Department. During whole hospitalization patient was unconscious, unresponsive to the pain (GCS:3), with circulatory and respiratory insufficiency. Despite intense treatment and decrease of carbamazepine level to therapeutic values there were no signs of patient recovery on the 9th day of treatment. After brain death determination patient was qualified as a kidneys and liver donor. Each patient diagnosed of brain death in the course of acute intoxication should be considered as a potential organ donor. Brain death determination in poisoned patients requires consultation by clinical toxicologist to exclude influence of neurotoxic xenobiotics on the central nervous system. Standards of instrumental confirmatory tests in victims following fatal poisonings should be established. Introduction of guidelines concerning donors intensive care procedures that allows successful organ procurement. All organ donations and transplantations from poisoned donors should be registered in national and/or international databases to provide an exchange of experiences and improve understanding of such cases.