Organ Donation New Zealand is considering allowing organ donation from patients who are irreversibly brain-damaged -- but not yet brain-dead.
National donor co-ordinator Janice Langlands said New Zealand had a dire donor organ shortage, with only 29 people donating last year -- the lowest in more than 10 years of
records.
Allowing donations from patients who were irreversibly brain-damaged could boost organ supply by up to 20 per cent, The Dominion Post reported today.
Organ Donation NZ hoped to use the knowledge of an American surgeon experienced in the area, who is starting work in Auckland in April, to establish the protocols required. Public discussion was also likely, Ms Langlands said.
Another source of organ donation was patients who were breathing for themselves but had no prospect of recovery, known as non-heart-beating donors. These patients were first allowed to die before their organs are removed.
Australia and Britain used this category of donors, particularly for kidney transplants. Livers and lungs could also be transplanted.
However, only organs from patients certified brain-dead could be used in New Zealand.
Intensive care specialist Peter Hicks said the poorer quality of the organs was one factor that made intensive care doctors reluctant to use non-heart-beating donors.
In the case of brain-dead donors, a cooling preservative solution is run through the organs while they are still working. For non-heart-beating patients, however, doctors had to wait until the patient died and then at least five minutes afterwards before removing the organs. They could be damaged during that time.
Using non-heart-beating donors also raised emotional and professional issues, Dr Hicks said.
"It can be unpleasant sitting waiting for someone to die," he said.
New Zealand's consideration of the practice showed how bad the shortage had become.
- NZPA
