title: Beneficial Effect of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on Organ Perfusion During Management of the Unstable Brain-dead Donor: A Case Series.
abstract: It is well known that the quality of organs retrieved from brain-dead donors (DBDs) is better than those retrieved from circulatory death donors. However, in situations of organ retrieval from marginal DBDs, who are unstable despite intensive care, transplantation outcomes are not good. Organ ischemia is the most important determining factor in decreased organ quality in circulatory death donors and in some DBDs. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for management of DBDs can be an emergency countermeasure. The purpose of this report is to relay our experience with four cases of ECMO for DBD management. In all four cases, the donors were unstable and showed clear signs of ischemia despite intensive care, including ventilator use and administration of inotropic agents. Two donors had acute respiratory distress syndrome, and two exhibited dysfunctional oxygen delivery. ECMO was used to improve organ perfusion. ECMO resulted in an increased partial pressure of arterial oxygen increased and decreased lactic acid levels. Vital signs were stabilized, especially in the donors who were bleeding. The organ was successfully retrieved from each donor. Two livers (one of them was split), eight kidneys, and one pancreas were retrieved from four DBDs. All other organs were transplanted successfully, and there were no cases of primary nonfunction or delayed graft function. The ECMO machine is the most powerful supportive device for management of unstable DBDs. The use of ECMO in unstable DBDs can be beneficial in expanding the donor pool as well as improving the quality of retrieved organs.
authors.affiliation: Organ Transplant Center, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Jinju Korea Hospital, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea. Electronic address: liversurgeon@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D001926:Brain Death / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D051799:Delayed Graft Function / Q000503:physiopathology; D019468:Disease Management; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*