Ethically Increasing the Supply of Transplantable Organs
Authors: Mohamed Y. Rady, Joseph L. Verheijde
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2007)

Letters3 April 2007Ethically Increasing the Supply of Transplantable OrgansMohamed Y. Rady, MD, PhD and Joseph L. Verheijde, PhD, MBAMohamed Y. Rady, MD, PhDFrom the Mayo Clinic Hospital and Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona. and Joseph L. Verheijde, PhD, MBAFrom the Mayo Clinic Hospital and Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-146-7-200704030-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR: We are writing in response to the recent editorial by Childress (1) on how to ethically increase the supply of transplantable organs after cardiocirculatory arrest and compliance with the uniform determination of death. The uniform determination of death relies on irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions or all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, and must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards. The determination of death by either cardiorespiratory or neurologic criteria rather than fulfilling both criteria simultaneously is widely accepted as the standard for organ recovery from deceased donors (2).... References1. Childress JF. How can we ethically increase the supply of transplantable organs? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2006;145:224-5. [PMID: 16880464] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Childress JF, Liverman CT, eds. Organ Donation: Opportunities for Action. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2006. Google Scholar3. Recommendations for nonheartbeating organ donation. A position paper by the Ethics Committee, American College of Critical Care Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine. Crit Care Med. 2001;29:1826-31. [PMID: 11546995] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Magliocca JF, Magee JC, Rowe SA, Gravel MT, Chenault RH 2nd, Merion RM, et al. Extracorporeal support for organ donation after cardiac death effectively expands the donor pool. J Trauma. 2005;58:1095-101; discussion 1101-2. [PMID: 15995454] Google Scholar5. Martin GB, Rivers EP, Paradis NA, Goetting MG, Morris DC, Nowak RM. Emergency department cardiopulmonary bypass in the treatment of human cardiac arrest. Chest. 1998;113:743-51. [PMID: 9515852] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Younger JG, Schreiner RJ, Swaniker F, Hirschl RB, Chapman RA, Bartlett RH. Extracorporeal resuscitation of cardiac arrest. Acad Emerg Med. 1999;6:700-7. [PMID: 10433529] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Truog RD, Robinson WM. Role of brain death and the dead-donor rule in the ethics of organ transplantation. Crit Care Med. 2003;31:2391-6. [PMID: 14501972] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Mayo Clinic Hospital and Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHow Can We Ethically Increase the Supply of Transplantable Organs? James F. Childress Ethically Increasing the Supply of Transplantable Organs Aaron Spital Metrics Cited ByA 10 min "no-touch" time - is it enough in DCD? A DCD Animal Study 3 April 2007Volume 146, Issue 7Page: 537KeywordsAortaApneaBrainConflicts of interestCritical careHeartIschemiaResuscitation ePublished: 3 April 2007 Issue Published: 3 April 2007 CopyrightCopyright © 2007 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...