Organ and Tissue Donation in Irish Paediatric Intensive Care

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Pediatric intensive care

Background:

• Paediatric organ donation is critical for addressing end-stage organ failure in children.
• Understanding trends in paediatric organ donation is essential for improving outcomes.
• The Republic of Ireland has specific protocols for organ donation in pediatric intensive care units.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze patterns of paediatric organ donation in the Republic of Ireland.
• To evaluate trends in pediatric organ and tissue heart valve donation from 2007 to 2018.
• To identify factors contributing to changes in pediatric organ donation rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective audit of organ donation practices.
• Data collected from paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) across Ireland.
• Analysis of donation records spanning an 11-year period (January 2007 - January 2018).

Main Results:

• A total of 36 children donated organs or tissue heart valves during the study period.
• Paediatric organ donors increased from 13 (2007-2012) to 23 (2013-2017).
• The year 2017 recorded the highest number of pediatric organ donors (9).

Conclusions:

• Organ donation in Irish PICUs has demonstrated an upward trend over 11 years.
• Factors contributing to the increase include enhanced Organ Donation Transplantation Ireland (ODTI) resources, dedicated clinical leads, and improved specialist staffing.
• Excellent outcomes were observed for organs donated throughout the audited period, underscoring the impact of altruism from bereaved families.