Organ Procurement and Donor Evaluation Flashcards

Which criterion must be met before a patient can be declared brain dead for organ donation purposes?

Answer: Irreversible cessation of all brain functions including the brainstem confirmed by two physicians

Brain death requires irreversible cessation of all brain functions including the brainstem, confirmed by two qualified physicians using established clinical criteria.

What is the role of an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) in the transplant process?

Answer: It coordinates organ donation, evaluation, allocation, and procurement from deceased donors

OPOs coordinate all aspects of deceased donor organ procurement, including family consent, donor evaluation, organ allocation, and logistics.

Cold ischemia time refers to which period in organ transplantation?

Answer: Time between organ procurement and transplantation into the recipient

Cold ischemia time is the period from organ procurement and cooling to transplantation and reperfusion, during which the organ is preserved in cold storage solution.

Which preservation solution is most commonly used for kidney preservation during cold storage?

Answer: University of Wisconsin (UW) solution

University of Wisconsin (UW) solution is the gold standard preservation fluid for kidney cold storage due to its composition that reduces ischemic cell damage.

Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) differs from Donation after Brain Death (DBD) in what key way?

Answer: DCD occurs after cessation of cardiac function rather than brain death declaration

In DCD, organ donation proceeds after the planned withdrawal of life support and confirmation of circulatory death, rather than after brain death declaration.

Which factor most significantly limits the acceptable cold ischemia time for heart transplantation compared to kidney transplantation?

Answer: The heart's sensitivity to ischemia makes the acceptable cold ischemia time much shorter (4–6 hours vs. 24–36 hours)

The heart is highly sensitive to ischemic injury, limiting acceptable cold ischemia time to approximately 4–6 hours, compared to 24–36 hours for kidneys.