Abstract
The objective of this study was the investigation of the maximal potential donor pool and causes of non-realized organ donation. On-site retrospective medical-record review was performed for all cases of patient death (n=1608) occurring in 1999 at 34 (83% of all) intensive care units (ICUs) in the region of the transplant center in Prague, Czech Republic. Two hundred and eighty-eight (18%) patients died with clinical signs of brain death. ICU physicians considered 111 of them as being potential donors at the time; 63 became donors and 48 did not. The remaining 177 patients with clinical signs of brain death were, in retrospect, assessed as being unsuitable (n=105) or suitable (n=72) for donation. The maximal potential donor rate was 55.7 per million population (pmp), with a more conservative estimate of 37.4 pmp. The actual donor rate was 18.1 pmp. For the maximal level to be approached, further educational efforts are warranted, targeting ICU physicians and concentrating on the identification of potential donors.
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Acknowledgments
We sincerely thank the following co-investigators at the intensive care units: Jiri Braza (Benesov); Zdenek Stepanek, Jaroslav Kurza (Ceske Budejovice); Stanislav Bares (Decin); Pavel Longin, Miloslava Strakova (Havlickuv Brod); Petr Janecky (Horovice); Oto Feldman (Jablonec Nad Nisou); Vladimir Kalina, Pavel Novotny (Jihlava); Petr Simacek (Kladno); Pavel Lebeda (Kolin); Hana Vechtova, Lenka Waschmutova, Dusan Morman (Liberec); Martin Frinta (Litomerice); Libor Dolecek (Louny); Jan Leicht (Melnik); Ivan Herold (Mlada Boleslav); Zdenek Bergl, Vladimir Simecek (Most); Eva Vackova (Pisek); Leo Slavkovsky, Eva Gavulova, Martina Vrbicka (Praha—FNKV); Zdenka Krupkova (Praha—NsP Bulovka); Miloslav Smilek (Praha—NsP Na Frantisku); Bohumil Kavka, Tomas Hyanek, Miroslav Kalina, Daniel Kantor (Praha—NsP Na Homolce); Jiri Valenta (Praha—VFN); Radek Zub (Praha—NsP Pod Petrinem), Alena Tejklova, Cenek Adamec (Prachatice); Jaroslav Langer (Pribram), Pavel Kozlik (Rakovnik); Jiri Dvorak, Milan Naprstek (Slany), Jiri Jiricko (Strakonice); Jaromir Chenicek (Tabor), Michal Hanauer, Tomas Hruby (Teplice); Radek Splechtna, Alena Lapackova, Jan Prochazka (Usti nad Labem). Finally, we sincerely thank Karel Pavlik Transplant Foundation for their support to this study.
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Pokorná, E., Vitko, S. & Ekberg, H. Medical-record review of potential donor pool in the Czech Republic suggests a possible increase to more than double the number of donors. Transpl Int 16, 633–638 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00147-003-0564-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00147-003-0564-8