Establishing a deceased donor program in north Indian region: lessons learnt.

Area of Science:

• Transplantation Medicine
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Living-related donors are the primary source of organ transplants in India, but supply remains insufficient.
• A notable increase in deceased donor transplants has been observed in southern Indian states.
• This study focuses on establishing a new deceased donor program in Uttar Pradesh, North India.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the experience of establishing a deceased donor program in Uttar Pradesh.
• To identify factors influencing family consent for organ donation from brain-dead patients.

Main Methods:

• Counseling families of brain-dead patients admitted between October 2013 and September 2014.
• Collecting data on organ retrieval and transplantation procedures.

Main Results:

• 99 brain-dead patients were identified; 67 were medically eligible donors.
• 14 patients experienced cardiac arrest before family counseling could occur.
• Only eight families consented to multi-organ donation.

Conclusions:

• Key barriers to consent include family disagreements, mistrust in the medical system, fear of body mutilation, and funeral delays.
• Positive consent is associated with mass media campaigns, optimal intensive care unit (ICU) management of brain-dead patients, strong family rapport, and efficient medico-legal processes.