Case study in identification and maintenance of an organ donor

The current need for transplantable organs greatly exceeds the available supply. This shortage is a result, in part, of the lack of awareness by health care professionals of the criteria that make a patient a suitable donor, and of the procedures required to procure healthy organs for transplantation. This article describes a recent case study in which the liver, heart-lung block, and kidneys were successfully recovered from a brain-dead patient. The discussion that follows explains the procedure for donor identification and maintenance, using the case study as an example. Special attention is given to the determination of brain death, the physiologic management of the donor, and the psychologic needs of the donor family and critical care staff.