Organ Donation After Cardiac Death in Children: Acceptance of a Protocol by Multidisciplinary Staff

Background Organ donation after cardiac death is increasingly implemented, with outcomes similar to those of organ donation after brain death. Many hospitals hesitate to implement a protocol for donation after cardiac death because of the potential negative reactions among health care providers. Objectives To determine the acceptance of a protocol for donation after cardiac death among multidisciplinary staff in a pediatric intensive care unit. Methods An anonymous, 15-question, Likert-scale questionnaire (scores 1–5) was used to determine the opinions of staff about donation after brain death and after cardiac death in a pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary-care university hospital. Results Survey response rate was 67% (n = 60). All physicians, 89% of nurses, and 82% of the remaining staff members stated that they understood the difference between donation after brain death and donation after cardiac death; staff supported both types of donation, at rates of 90% and 85%, respectively. Staff perception was the same for each type of donation (ρ = 0.82; r = 0.92; P < .001). The 20 staff members who provided care directly to patients who were donors after cardiac death considered such donation worthwhile. However, 60% of those providers offered suggestions to improve the established protocol for donation. Conclusions The multidisciplinary staff has accepted organ donation after cardiac death and has fully integrated this kind of donation without reported differences from their acceptance of donation after brain death.