1 - Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Área de Pediatria Médica, Hospital de Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central.
2 - Gabinete de Procura e Transplante de Órgão, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central
- Publicação no Transplantation Proceedings, julho de 2023; publicação internacional (artigo original)
Organ and tissue donation can transform lives. One donor can ensure the survival of up to 8 people through their organs and improve the quality of life for dozens more through tissue donation. Portugal has an excellent transplantation rate, but death can still occur while waiting for an organ. This study aimed to analyze pediatric organ and tissue donors nationally and evaluate brain deaths in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) over the past 10 years to identify any potential lost donors. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of pediatric organ and tissue donors and diagnosed brain deaths from January 2011 to December 2021. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed, including those provided by the National Transplant Coordination. Over the past 10 years in Portugal, 121 pediatric donors (11.7 per million population) were collected, and 569 organs and tissue were collected. During the same period in the PICU, there were 125 deaths, including 20 brain deaths. Of this group, 4 were organ and tissue donors. In the non-donor group (n=16), a potential lost donor case stands out. Pediatric specialists need to be more familiar with the donation process, which would enable the identification and optimization of all potential donors, thus minimizing the number of potentially lost organs.
Palavras Chave: brain death, lost organs, organ donation, PICU.