30819 Organ Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death

Course overview

Discusses organ donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD), including the need to increase organ availability using DCDD donors, the difference between DCDD and standard donation after neurological determination of death (DNDD) donors, the complexity of DCDD donation and strategies to ensure success, and donor factors that affect outcomes achieved with DCDD organ transplantation. Approximately 114,000 individuals are on the national transplant waiting list as of August 2017, and 20 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant. Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list, yet only 3 out of 1,000 people pass away in a way that allows for organ donation. While there has been great effort to increase public awareness regarding the importance of organ and tissue donation, every year the number of people awaiting organ transplant grows much larger than the number of organs available, posing a great issue to those in need of life saving organ transplant. Transplant medicine has evolved in an attempt to increase the number of transplantable organs, including allowing DCDD. DCDD is organ donation from an individual who has suffered an irreversible injury and may be near death, but does not meet brain death criteria. While DCDD may serve to increase the number of transplantable organs available, some healthcare providers and facilities are not as comfortable and familiar with this method of organ recovery. This program discusses best practices in DCDD, including eligibility, appropriate care settings for DCDD process, challenges and barriers, operative goals, and donor outcomes following DCDD.