Searching for a Solution: A Review of Deceased Donor Solid-Organ Procurement Protocols and Examination of Innovative Ideas to Address Organ Shortage.

As solid-organ transplant capabilities improve, transplants are becoming a life-saving solution for an increasing number of patients. However, the number of organs procured from donors following brain death (DBD) falls far short of the number of waiting recipients. Organs procured from donors following circulatory death (DCD) are often comparable to DBD organs and attempt to address the shortage of viable allografts. Strikingly, consistent protocols governing DCD organ procurement do not exist, with one potential reason being an imperfect understanding of the underlying science and philosophy. Along with improvements to the DCD process, consideration of standardizing the window for withdrawal of life support therapy and pre-mortem nephrectomy present potential avenues to enhance allograft yield. Deserving recipients ultimately stand to benefit from further discussion of DCD procurement within the scientific community and beyond.