title: [Experiences of a regional coordinating center in preparing for organ donations].
abstract: Potential organ donors can be expected in every hospital. In the GDR, the annual number of donors nearly corresponds to the number of hospitals, e.g. 1985:500. Even if they work as donor hospitals only once every 1 to 2 years, medical and organizational problems are unavoidable. Taking this aspect into consideration, a regional coordinating centre for the District of Magdeburg with 1.3 million inhabitants and 24 hospitals was established in 1981 at the Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the Magdeburg Medical Academy. This centre advises the "donor-hospitals" and admits potential donors if they are transportable. In 8 years, the centre was consulted in 148 cases. Fifty-six of the resulting organ explantations were performed at the centre. The main advantages of such a centralized service are: permanent presence of specialists who are experienced in organ donor procedures, close local and organizational links to special groups for diagnosing brain death, performing organ explantation, artificial organ perfusion and organ transportation, the possibility to admit patients for "donor conditioning".
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mühlnickel
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Röse
mesh_terms: D005859:Germany, East; D006801:Humans; D012040:Regional Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000458:organization & administration*
vernacular_title: Erfahrungen eines regionalen Koordinierungszentrums bei der Vorbereitung zur Organspende.