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Can carbon monoxide-poisoned victims be organ donors?

Authors :
Atsunori Nakao
Keisuke Kohama
Takeshi Nishimura
Noritomo Fujisaki
Hiroyuki Sakata
Takaaki Osako
Michiko Ishikawa-Aoyama
Joji Kotani
Taihei Yamada
Source :
Medical Gas Research
Publisher :
Springer Nature

Abstract

The increasing demand for organ allografts to treat end-stage organ failure has driven changes in traditional donor criteria. Patients who have succumbed to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, a common cause of toxicological mortality, are usually rejected as organ donors. To fulfill the increasing demand, selection criteria must be expanded to include CO-poisoned donors. However, the use of allografts exposed to high CO concentrations is still under debate. Basic research and literature review data suggest that patients with brain death caused by CO poisoning should be considered appropriate organ donors. Accepting organs from CO-poisoned victims could increase the number of potential donors and lower the death rate of patients on the waiting lists. This review and reported cases may increase awareness among emergency department physicians, as well as transplant teams, that patients dying of CO exposure may be acceptable organ donors.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20459912
Volume :
4
Issue :
1
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Medical Gas Research
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....a69b8543084fa77baecf1d095134a9cd
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/2045-9912-4-13