An Analysis of the Process to Organ Donation in Brain-dead Patients / 대한이식학회지

ABSTRACT

Organ procurements were performed in 9 brain-dead patients at our hospital since 1995. They were 7 males and 2 females. The causes of brain death were trauma in 7 patients and CVA in 2 patients. When brain death was confirmed, hypernatremia over 145 mEq/L was showed in 6 and hypothermia in all. Blood transfusion was done in 6 patients for correction of anemia preoperatively. The time intervals from brain death confirmation to organ procurement were from 1 hour to 2 days. Multi-organ harvests were done in 4 patient, 60 year-old female and 2 patients who received the cardioversion before harvest were given up to procure liver and heart preoperatively. And 2 patients were not procured heart and liver because of pathologic findings of intraoperative frozen biopsy. Among 22 recipients, 1 kidney recipient died postoperatively. We conclude that the intensive care should be performed in the brain dead donor for multi-organ harvest and better results of organ transplantations. Beside the organ procurement and transplantation team, another intensive care team for brain dead donor should be composed if possible.