title: [Epidemiological characteristics of a group of multi organ donors used to transplant organs in Cuba].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For current transplants, the organ donor is a basic factor.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the demographic characteristics of the donors used in the Cuban liver transplant programme, the main causes of brain death, most widely used amines and serology pattern. To report the transplants carried out.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the clinical histories of the actual donors processed between July 1999 and July 2000.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the period studied 13 actual donors were used: 9 men (69.2%) and 4 women (30.8%) distributed in the following age groups: 15 30 years: 3 cases (23%); 31 45 years : 4 cases (30.8%); 46 60 years: 5 cases (38.5%), and over 60 years: 1 case (7.7%). We did 42 transplants: 12 liver, including the first hepato renal in Cuba, 18 kidney, 10 cornea, and 1 heart. The causes of death were: head injury: 10 (76.9%), and hemorrhagic cerebral vascular accident: 3 (23.1%). Only 3 cases (23.1%) did not require the use of vasoactive amines. These were used in the other 10 (76.9%). The most commonly used were dopamine and epinephrine, in 6 cases each (46.1%). In the serological studies for immunoglobulin G for cytomegalovirus all 13 were positive, Epstein Barr virus 6 (46.1%), toxoplasma 12 (92.3%), herpes virus 1: 13, herpes virus 11: 13.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The typical donor was a man aged 46 60 years with brain death due to head injury following a road traffic accident. A large proportion of donors required the use of amines to maintain hemodynamic stability. There was a large proportion of patients who were found on microbiological serology studies to test positive.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos; Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Quirúrgicas (CIMEQ), La Habana, Cuba. bcimeq@infomed.sld.cu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdo Cuza
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Suárez Savio
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: García Navarro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castellanos Gutiérrez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gómez Peyre
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parellada Blazco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alvarez Plasencia
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rafael Truy
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castellanos Becerril
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Verdecia Gorrita
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Howland Alvarez
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cruz Gómez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D003462:Cuba; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014180:Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014777:Virus Diseases
vernacular_title: Características clinicoepidemiológicas de un grupo de donantes multiorgánicos utilizados para trasplante de órganos en Cuba.