Donor sepsis is not a contraindication to cadaveric organ donation

• Published in: QJM : An International Journal of Medicine Vol. 90; no. 10; pp. 641 - 642
• Main Authors: Little, D. M., Farrell, J. G., Cunningham, P.M., Hickey, D. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.1997
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cadaver; Clinical death. Palliative care. Organ gift and preservation; Contraindications; Epiglottitis; Follow-Up Studies; Graft Survival; Heart-Lung Transplantation; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Liver Transplantation; Medical sciences; Meningitis, Bacterial; Organ Transplantation - methods; Pancreas Transplantation; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Tissue Donors; Infection; Human; Sepsis syndrome; Evaluation; Organ donation; Donor; Etiology; Surgery; Characteristic; Risk factor; Transplantation; Cadaver
• ISSN: 1460-2725; 1460-2393
• DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/90.10.641

Systemic donor infection is regarded as being an absolute contraindication to cadaveric organ donation for transplantation. This is largely due to fear of transmitting pathogenic organisms to the immunosuppressed recipient. However, due to the current shortage of organs available for transplantation, clinicians are faced with the option of using organs from ‘non-ideal’ donors, such as those patients with documented evidence of infection. We report the successful outcome of six orthotopic liver transplants, 11 renal transplants, one combined heart lung transplant and one simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant with organs from eight donors in whom bacterial meningitis (n = 7) and acute bacterial epiglottitis (n = 1) were the antecedent causes of death.