Potential Pediatric Organ Donors After Cardiac Death

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Organ transplantation
• Bioethics

Background:

• Over 50 individuals in Switzerland die annually awaiting organ transplants.
• Pediatric organ donation after cardiac death programs are understudied.
• Increasing the organ donor pool is crucial for saving lives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential impact of organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) in a pediatric population.
• To evaluate the feasibility of DCD programs in pediatric intensive care settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of deceased children (2005-2014) in a tertiary pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit.
• Categorization of deaths: brain death, maximal resuscitation, withholding care, and withdrawal of care.
• Identification of potential organ donors based on medical contraindications and agonal time (<120 minutes).

Main Results:

• 189 non-premature children died during the study period.
• Only 5 of 36 (19%) brain-dead children became organ donors.
• 18 children were identified as potential organ donors, with a median agonal time of 16 minutes in the withdrawal of care group.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric organ donation after cardiac death could increase the donor population fourfold.
• DCD programs offer a significant opportunity to enhance organ availability for pediatric patients.