Does Intensivist Management of Organ Donors with Death by Neurological Criteria Result in Increased Organ Yield?

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether intensivist management of donors increases the number of organs available for transplantation from organ donors with death by neurological criteria. Setting: The Midwest Transplant Network from January 2003 – October 2018. Interventions: Intensivist physicians engaged in donor management. Comparison of total number of donors, donor age, and organs transplanted of all organ types before and after intensivist management. Analysis using ANOVA and 2 sample t-test used to compare organ donations before and after intensivist management with a p-value of < 0.05 deemed statistically significant. Results: The number of organs transplanted showed a statistically significant increase after intensivist management for most organs. The number of organs transplanted increased by 38% (p-value = 0.009) and the number of donors increased by 28% (p-value = 0.026) following intensivist management. Donor age was significantly higher post-intensivist management (35.83 ± 18.79 vs. 38.89 ± 22.86, p-value = 0.0007). The number of organs transplanted per donor increased significantly after intensivist management (2.76 ± 1.82 vs 2.94 ± 1.89, p-value = 0.038). Conclusion: Our data suggest an increase in organs transplanted per donor may be associated with the involvement of a critical care specialist. Future research should explore the exact patient-centered implications.