title: Does comfort therapy during controlled donation after circulatory death shorten the life of potential donors?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Controlled donation after circulatory death (DCD) remains ethically controversial. The authors developed a controlled DCD protocol in which comfort therapy is regularly used. The aim of this study was to determine whether this policy shortens the DCD donors' life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data on patients proposed for DCD at the University Hospital of Liege, Belgium, over a 56-month period. The survival duration of these patients, defined as duration between the time of proposal for DCD and the time of circulatory arrest, was compared between patients who actually donated organs and those who did not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 128 patients were considered for controlled DCD and 54 (43%) became donors. Among the 74 non-donor patients, 34 (46%) objected to organ donation, 38 patients (51%) were denied by the transplant team for various medical reasons, and two potential DCD donors did not undergo procurement due to logistical and organizational reasons. The survival durations were similar in the DCD donor and non-donor groups. No non-donor patient survived.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival of DCD donors is not shortened when compared with non-donor patients. These data support the ethical and respectful approach to potential DCD donors in the authors' center, including regular comfort therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, CHU Liege, University of Liege (ULg CHU), Wallonia, Belgium.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Delbouille
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deroover
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lambermont
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meurisse
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Damas
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joris
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Detry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001926:Brain Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics*; D028761:Withholding Treatment
keywords: end-of-life; ethics; non-heart beating donors; organ donation; policy; transplantation