Controlled donation after circulatory death in post-cardiac arrest patients: Estimates from a large registry

Abstract

BackgroundControlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) in post-anoxic brain injury is a valuable source of organs that is still underused in some countries. We assessed the number of potential cDCD donors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Paris and its suburbs and extrapolated the results to the French population. MethodsUsing the large regional registry of the Great Paris area, we prospectively included all consecutive adults with OHCA with a stable return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) who ultimately died in the intensive care unit (ICU) after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments (WLST) due to post anoxic brain injury. The primary endpoint was potential for organ donation by cDCD in this population. The number of potential cDCD donors was calculated and extrapolated to the entire French population. ResultsBetween 2011 and 2018, 4638 patients with stable ROSC were admitted to ICUs after OHCA, and 3170 died in ICU, of which 1034 died after WLST due to post-anoxic brain injury. When considering French criteria, 421/1034 patients (41%) would have been potential cDCD donors (55 patients per year in a 4.67 million population). After standardization for age and sex, the potential for cDCD was 515 (95% CI 471–560) patients per year in France corresponding to an annual incidence of 1.18 per 100 000 inhabitants per year. ConclusionsOrgan donation by cDCD after cardiac arrest could provide a large pool of donors in France.