VOLUME 11 , ISSUE 2 ( April, 2007 ) > List of Articles
Meena Kumar, Prakash Shendge, Vatsala Trivedi, Jagruti Waghela, Dilip Rajpal
Keywords : Brain Stem Death (BSD), deceased organ donor, maintenance
Citation Information : Kumar M, Shendge P, Trivedi V, Waghela J, Rajpal D. Our experience with deceased organ donor maintenance. Indian J Crit Care Med 2007; 11 (2):49-53.
DOI: 10.4103/0972-5229.33385
License: CC BY-ND 3.0
Published Online: 01-01-2011
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2007; The Author(s).
Deceased organ donors in an intensive care unit (ICU) are the richest source of organs for transplantation. Careful donor maintenance plays a vital role in the successful functioning of the organ in the recipient. Aims: Early identification of brain stem death (BSD) in the ICU, problems and management in donor maintenance till retrieval are the main objectives. Materials and Methods: BSD was identified in a level I trauma center over a period of eight years (1996-2004) using UK code. After screening for fitness, they were maintained to achieve normothermia, systolic BP > 90 mm Hg, CVP 8-10 cm water, urine output > 80 ml/hour and normal acid base balance. Results: 168 cases of BSD were maintained, 30 with identity unknown. Common transient complications noted were hypotension (68%), hypokalemia (62%), hypothermia (12%), diabetes insipidus (70%). Brain stem death was identified early and resuscitated to maintain normal tissue perfusion. 17 (12.3%) consent for organ donation was obtained. Organs (24 kidneys and one liver) were retrieved from 12 donors. Four donors sustained cardiac arrest before retrieval. Conclusion: Early recognition of brain stem death and prompty correction of hemodyanamic instability is the key to deceased donor maintenance. Optimal care of potential donor translates to care of multiple recipients.