The systematization of nursing care to patients who are potential corneal donors: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Corneal transplantation is a surgery that consists of replacing a portion of the diseased cornea of a patient with a healthy cornea, in order to improve vision or correct ocular perforations. With the advancement of studies, resuscitation and life support techniques, brain activity came to define the life and death of the individual, thus linking death to neurological criteria. The care of patients with brain death, potential corneal donors, is characterized as a complex activity, implemented by the multidisciplinary team that works in an adult intensive care unit with the systematization of nursing care in the workplace the nurse ensures that the quality of care will be permanent. Objective: Application of the systematization of nursing care, according to the NANDA taxonomy, in a patient with brain death, for the preservation of the cornea of this potential donor. Method: This is an Integrative Literature Review. For data collection, three moments were used: checking the keywords, obtaining the sample and synthesizing the data. Results and discussion: 12 articles contributed positively to the research for the results and discussions, presenting subjects such as: Loss of the potential donor due to care maintenance and the need for systematization in nursing care; Strategy for early diagnosis of brain death and the importance of a commission for assistance support. After reading and identifying categories emerged in the research, the conditions that evidence organ and tissue donations were satisfactorily shown. Conclusion: It was possible to identify the absence of protocols for the systematization of nursing care in the Intensive Care Unit, and as a consequence the decrease in corneal transplants, evidenced by the absence of early strategies for the diagnosis of brain death.