Non heart beating donors. Succesfully expanding the donor's pool.
OBJECTIVE
Expand the donors pool is one of the most hastening problems among transplant coordination teams all over the world. Our Hospital outlined thirteen years ago a specific policy to increase donors pool with non-heart-beating-donors program.


METHODS
We have developed an specific program, called "code 9" to get donors from "previously healthy" people who die of sudden or unexpected death. Madrid has one of the best emergency medical services all over the world, with response time under eight minutes, and being able to perform all kind of advanced life support maneuvers in situ and during transfer to hospital.


RESULTS
From 1989 we have reported the goodness of the program and the excellence of the organs transplanted. In Madrid, one of the most active communities in Spain in organ donors procurement, 33% of donors comes from this program. Organs and tissues obtained are of same or better quality than those obtained from encephalic death donors.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-heart beating programs are a good option to increase donors pool.
Transplant Coordination Unit, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain. frio.hcsc@salud.madrid.org
F
F
del Río Gallegos
J R
JR
Nunez Pena
A
A
Soria García
M A
MA
Moreno Roy
A
A
Varela
J
J
Calatayud
D006323:Heart Arrest; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D016040:Lung Transplantation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*