Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
-
Review
Retrieving organs from non-heart-beating organ donors: a review of medical and ethical issues.
The increasing gap between numbers of individuals awaiting organ replacement surgery and the supply of organs available for transplant underpins attempts to increase the number of organs available. One practice, used in other countries, is the recovery of organs from non-heart-beating organ donors (NHBD). The purpose of this review is to discuss ethical issues surrounding the use of organs from these donors. ⋯ Canadian centres can learn from the difficulties encountered in other centres that have developed NHBD protocols. A moratorium on Canadian NHBD protocols should be considered until a National consensus reflecting Canadian values has been undertaken.