A retrospective analysis of profile and management of brain-dead organ donors in a tertiary care setup in New Delhi

Overview: Organ harvesting from brain dead donors has significantly developed over the years due to a constant increase in the demand of transplantation. This has led to various recommendations and strategies to improve donor management after brain death. Brain dead trauma patients are ideal organ donors due to relative young age and absence of life-threatening comorbidities. Methods: The aim of our retrospective study was to gather and analyze the case profiles of all brain-dead patients at our hospital between January to December 2022. Their demographics, mode of injury, time from injury to diagnosis of brain death and time from brain death to organ harvesting were noted. Results: Our findings revealed that only 7.9% of the brain dead patients eventually became organ donors. The rest were lost due to lack of consent, hemodynamic instability or other procedural problems. Discussion: Various strategies have been adopted to increase the organ donor pool. Amongst them, education of population and awareness about the value of donation is foremost. Hemodynamic and endocrine management of the brain dead organ donors is also crucial for better graft survival.