title: Barriers toward organ donation in a Danish University Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Denmark, organ donation-rates are below the average in the western countries. We investigated the donor potential and identified barriers toward organ donation in a Danish university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients who died in Aalborg University Hospital in 2012 were retrospectively identified. Patients with a CT- or MRI-proven deadly brain-lesion were eligible for inclusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-five patients with deadly brain-lesions were included, and of these 47 patients died in the intensive care unit (ICU). Older age and diagnosis of brain-hemorrhage and infarction were associated with admission to general ward (GW). In 62.4% of the patients the potential of becoming a donor was not identified. No donations occurred from patients dying from intracerebral hemorrhage or brain-infarction although they represented 44.7% of the potential donors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study reveals a huge, unrecognized donation potential at our hospital. About 30% was lost because they were never admitted to the ICU. After primary admission to the ICU, 15.3% of the potential donors were lost because they were transferred to the GW. In patients who died in the ICU 17.6% of the patients were not evaluated as potential donors. The relatives refused donation in 17.6% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It would be possible to raise the donation rate considerably if patients with donation potential are intubated and admitted to the ICU. When active treatment is considered withdrawn, possibility of organ donation should be evaluated, and the next of kin be approached by experienced staff.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Institute, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.|Danish Center of Organ Donation, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Institute, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kousgaard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data