Brain death and organ donation in Argentine pediatric intensive care units. A multicenter study

• Published in: Archivos argentinos de pediatría Vol. 116; no. 1; pp. e54 - e60
• Main Authors: Bonetto, Germán, Taffarel, Pedro, Gamerman, Melisa, Jorro Barón, Facundo, Gaviña, Carolina, Flores, Laura, Fernández, Emanuel, Zifferman, Andrea, Debaisi, Gustavo, Acerenza, Marcelo, Selandari, Jorge, Landry, Luis, Cacciamano, Ariel, Clavel, Alfredo, Capocasa, Patricia, Calvo, Bernardo, Angos, Marcial
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Argentina 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Transplantation; Pediatric intensive care units; Brain death; Donation
• ISSN: 0325-0075; 1668-3501
• DOI: 10.5546/aap.2018.eng.e54

Brain death (BD) is a condition determined by the complete and irreversible absence of brain functions. Maintenance of vital functions creates an opportunity for organ donation. A retrospective study was carried out in 7 pediatric intensive care units of Argentina (from 1/1/2013 to 9/30/2016) to determine the incidence of clinical and certified BD, and the proportion of effective transplantations. Among deceased patients, 19.14% (147/768) met the clinical requirements for BD, and the main cause of BD was multiple trauma. BD was certified in 13.4% of deceased patients (103); an electroencephalogram and an apnea test were the most commonly used ancillary methods. Organ maintenance time was 24 hours. A total of 87 families were approached for donation; 59 were rejected (they were not suitable or refused). Effective donors accounted for 25% (26/103) of patients with certified BD and 72 patients received solid organs.