Organ Donors With Exceptional Medical Conditions Also Count

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 40; no. 9; pp. 2874 - 2876
• Main Authors: Frutos, M.A, Mansilla, J.J, Ruiz, P, Lebrón, M, Daga, D, Guerrero, F, Ortuño, D, Carballo, M, Parra, D, Vázquez, A
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.11.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Death; Cadaver; Cause of Death; Clinical death. Palliative care. Organ gift and preservation; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Donor Selection - methods; Donor Selection - standards; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Health Status; Humans; Liver Transplantation - mortality; Medical sciences; Patient Selection; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Tissue and Organ Procurement - methods; Tissue Donors - classification; Tissue Donors - statistics & numerical data; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Waiting Lists; Medicine; Numeration; Organ donation; Treatment; Donor; Surgery; Graft; Transplantation
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2008.08.096

Abstract All organ donors, even those who have died under exceptional conditions, can provide at least one valid organ for transplantation. It is thus necessary to evaluate the outcomes of donors with unusual diseases. We reviewed 909 organ donors at six hospitals over the last 15 years. Of these, 29 (3.19%) were considered to be exceptional either because of prior disease, the circumstance of death, or complications arising during admission. Among the 53 organs transplanted from all these donors (except two), the mean number of valid organs per donor was 1.88 rather than 2.36 for standard donors. One patient who received a liver transplant died due to the same infection as that diagnosed in the donor. The remaining recipients experienced no primary graft failure or transmission of problems present in the donor.