The Use of Extracorporeal Circulation in Suspected Brain Dead Organ Donors with Cardiopulmonary Collapse

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 30; no. 12; pp. 1911 - 1914
• Main Authors: Lee, Hyun, Cho, Yang Hyun, Sung, Kiick, Yang, Jeong Hoon, Chung, Chi Ryang, Jeon, Kyeongman, Suh, Gee Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 01.12.2015; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adult; Brain Death - diagnosis; Case Report; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Female; Heart Arrest; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Organ Transplantation; Tissue and Organ Harvesting; Tissue and Organ Procurement - methods; Tissue Donors; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; 의학일반; Brain Death; Tissue Organ Procurement; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.12.1911

Donor shortage is a major limitation in organ transplantation. Several studies have reported that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-assisted organ donation can be successfully completed without inducing warm ischemia in patients with brain death. The present report described clinical experience of three patients (23-yr old man, 32-yr old man, and 41-yr old woman) who underwent ECMO for the evaluation of brain death and organ donation. They donated six kidneys, three livers, and one both lungs without warm ischemia by ECMO. Six kidney recipients successfully recovered normal status without hemodialysis and two liver recipients survived with normal liver functions, but one liver recipient and one lung recipient died 3 and 15 days after transplantation. Our report strongly encourages ECMO-assisted organ donation from brain death patients with refractory cardiopulmonary collapse to achieve improved organ transplantation.