Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Variability in protocols on donation after circulatory death in Europe.
Organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) has become an accepted strategy to reduce the shortage of organs for transplantation in many European countries. The use and number of DCD donors varies between countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the available protocols for DCD in Europe. ⋯ Although DCD is an established strategy to enlarge the donor pool and to contribute to the reduction of the waiting list for transplantation, its potential has not been fully utilized yet. To further promote DCD transplantation, it is important to share expertise and obtain consensus, so that this can be translated into more uniform and solid protocols supported by the competent authorities, transplant and intensive care professionals, which may eventually result in a further promotion of DCD transplantation in Europe.