Organ donation in the UK: a survey by a British Transplantation Society working party

Abstract

Eight recommendations have been made, covering ICU bed provision, neurosurgical provision, transplant surgical staffing, the transplant co-ordinator network, reimbursement to donor units, asystolic donation, live donor transplantation, and interventional ventilation.

Potential for organ donation in the United Kingdom: audit of intensive care records

“…This is not an appropriate measure as several factors may influence the number of potential heartbeating donors that are available. These include the provision of intensive care beds, neurosurgical practice, and the death rates from intracerebral bleeding and road traffic accidents 8 9. It is far more realistic to consider the donor rate in terms of a “percentage of the potential” or the “conversion rate.”8 10 11 Sheehy et al estimated the number of potential organ donors in the United States from a retrospective review of records in a sample of the organ procurement organisations 10.…”

Reducing dialysis associated bacteraemia, and recommendations for surveillance in the United Kingdom: prospective study

“…The situation is compounded in the United Kingdom by the scarce supply of cadaver transplant organs, which forces patients to continue with dialysis for longer. This is a particular problem for some ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom, who have greater need for renal replacement therapy12 secondary to diabetes and cardiovascular disease and whose blood group characteristics are not commonly matched by the donor population 13 14…”

Recent developments: Renal transplantation

“…Waiting lists continue to grow by about 3% per year 1. The reasons for this increase in recent years have been well documented,4 but two are particularly important. Improved road safety and a lack of neurosurgical facilities have led to fewer organ donors becoming available in recent years.…”