ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is a concept that the small number of transplants is due to the shortage of donors or the refusal of the next of kin to make to donation. In order to evaluate the potential number of donors in São Paulo the autopsies performed at the Forensic Medical Institute (IML) were studied during 1990 and 1991. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The autopsies carried out during 1990 and 1991 were studied. During the same period we also analysed the reports of possible donors received by the organ searching team of the Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). RESULTS: During 1990 and 1991, 11601 and 11607 autopsies were respectively carried out (32 autopsies/day). The analysis of 500 autopsies during 10/90 and of 1039 during 05/91 showed that 27% had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the sole cause of death and 70% were cared for in a hospital. From 01/90 to 12/91 the organ searching team of the EPM received reports of 296 possible donors. Of the 296 reports, 219 families were contacted and 59% authorized the donation. CONCLUSION: Considering the number of deaths exclusively caused by TBI that passed through any hospital and the rate of donations obtained by our team, there is a number of potential donors in São Paulo sufficient to saturate the working capacity of all teams, if the seeking system is efficient.
