ORLANDO — Patient wishes for organ donation were overridden by family members in about 20% of cases, creating “missed opportunities” for organ procurement, according to research conducted at a level I trauma center in Charlotte, N.C.
Dr. A. Britton Christmas and colleagues at the F.H. Sammy Ross Jr. Center at the Carolinas Medical Center reviewed 3 months of organ donation referrals at their center. They estimated that about 17 potential transplant recipients did not receive organs because a patient's previous donation intentions were overridden by family members.
The research was presented in a poster at the annual congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers examined charts to determine the appropriateness for donation, familial consent or denial for donation, and the number of organs transplanted from each donor. They compared their records with data from the state department of motor vehicles (DMV) related to organ donation designations.
The researchers analyzed information on 84 individuals who had information on file with the DMV and whose families had been approached by hospital staff for organ donation over the 3-month period. According to DMV records, 25 individuals were listed as organ donors, and 59 had not designated organ donation.
For the 25 individuals who had designated themselves as organ donors, 20 consents for donation were obtained from family members. Of the remaining 59 individuals, 22 consents for organ donation were obtained.
Although the organ recovery rate was higher among those who had already specified a desire to be donors (80% vs. 37%), some families chose to override a previous designation of organ donation. With an average of 3.4 organs transplanted from each eligible donor, the researchers estimated that the five individuals whose consent was withdrawn by the families resulted in 17 potential organ recipients who would not receive organs.
For additional information on organ donation and the donor shortage, visit www.organdonor.gov