[General aspects of organ donation]

The general and surgical aspects of organ donation are of great relevance for every surgeon in every hospital, as potential organ donor situations occur in every intensive care unit. Typical organ donors are patients suffering from intracerebral bleeding. There is no upper age limit. The implementation of a potential organ donor program is the indirect responsibility and task of every hospital in order to serve the patients waiting in the geographical region of the hospital; organs retrieved in another region should be available for patients in that other region. The general aspects of organ donation concern, for example, the question of the legal aspects of brain death and adequate surgical procedures concerning the dignity of the donor. The surgical aspects include a highly standardized technique using only aortal flush at an early stage of the operation without major manipulation of the organs prior to perfusion. The liver and pancreas are removed en bloc and consecutively the kidneys, one by one. This no-touch technique is rapid and safe, especially for atypical hepatic arteries, as all the tissue between the superior mesenteric artery, celiac trunk and minor curvature of the stomach is preserved with liver, irrespective of arterial anomalies.