Saving and Improving Lives Organ Donation Essentials for Health Care Professionals

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Saving and Improving Lives Organ Donation
Essentials for Health Care Professionals

• Southwest Transplant Alliance

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Types of DonorsVented vs non-vented

• On a vent
• Brain Dead
• Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD)
• Organs and tissue can be donated
• Not on a vent
• Cardiac death
• Tissue only can be donated

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How does the donor process work in my hospital?
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When Do I Call STA?On all patients with a
severe, acute brain injury and

• Who require mechanical ventilation and
• Are in an Intensive Care Unit or Emergency
  Department and
• Have two or more absent brain stem reflexes and
• Prior to any end-of-life discussion with the
  family or
• When a family asks about donation
• Its never too early to call
• Also After cardiac death on all non-vented
  patients

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How do I make a referral?

• 1-800-201-0527
• 24-hour
• referral line

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What is Brain Death?

• Brain death is the
• irreversible cessation
• of all spontaneous
• brain function, including
• the brain stem.

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How does a physician determine brain death?

• All of the following reflexes must be absent
• Pupillary reflex (response to bright light)
• Oculocephalic reflex (dolls eyes)
• Deviation of eyes to irrigation of each ear with
  cold water (cold calorics)
• Corneal reflex to touch with a swab
• Cough
• Gag
• Respiratory reflex
• No response to pain or verbal stimuli
• If 2 of these reflexes are missing - call
  Southwest Transplant Alliance

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What happens after consent?

• Potential donor is maintained on a ventilator in
  your ICU. May take 24-36 hours
• The STA Organ Recovery Coordinator bedside
  nurse medically manage the donor.

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Who should approach family about donation?

• A STA trained designated requestor should offer
  the family the option of donation after they have
  had a chance to understand that their loved one
  is brain dead.
• Hospital personnel should never bring up donation
  to family

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Conversion Rate

• Conversion rate the number of organ donors you
  have had at your hospital divided by the number
  of potential organ donors expressed as a
  percentage.
• Target is 75

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It all starts with the referral

• Referrals need to be timely missing 2 or more
  brain stem reflexes
• Prior to extubation of patient
• STA needs time to come to unit and evaluate
  patient
• We dont want to miss any possible referrals
• Late or missed referrals are counted as
  occurrences
• This process is mandated by state and federal
  laws