Maternal organ donation and acute injuries in surviving children

The purpose of this study is to test whether maternal deceased organ donation is associated with rates of subsequent acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death.

This is a longitudinal cohort analysis of children linked to mothers who died of a catastrophic brain event in Ontario, Canada, between April 1988 and March 2012. Surviving children were distinguished by whether their mother was an organ donor after death. The primary outcome was an acute injury event in surviving children during the year after their mother's death.

Surviving children (n=454) had a total of 293 injury events during the year after their mother's death, equivalent to an average of 65 events per 100 children per year and a significant difference comparing children of mothers who were organ donors to children of mothers who were not organ donors (21 vs 82, P<.001). This difference in subsequent injury rates between groups was equal to a 76% relative reduction in risk (95% confidence interval, 62%-85%).

Deceased organ donation was associated with a reduction in excess acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death. An awareness of this positive association provides some reassurance about deceased organ donation programs.