Beyond the donor after brain death: Donation in asystole and living donor. Spanish experience and perspective

Traditionally, organ transplantation has relied on donation after brain death (DBD). However, the growing demand for organs has driven the search for alternatives to expand the donor pool. In this context, donation after the circulatory determination of death (DCD) has experienced significant growth throughout the current century, particularly in cases of death following the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments (Maastricht type III donation). Although still limited to a small number of countries, the volume of DCD in Spain is similar to that of DBD, and it is the only country that has successfully transplanted all types of organs from this type of donor. Living organ donation also makes a meaningful contribution to overall transplant activity, and it must be firmly grounded in comprehensive donor protection. In Spain, 10% of kidney transplants are performed using organs from living donors.