Posthumous Donors Research Articles

Analysis of international experience in the legal regulation of posthumous consent for donation and its implementation in Ukraine

The relevance of this study is associated with the acute shortage of organs for transplantation, which is a widespread issue in healthcare systems worldwide. The purpose of the study is to identify potential ways to increase the number of individuals providing posthumous consent for donation and, consequently, the availability of donor material in Ukraine, based on the experience of foreign countries. The study utilises general scientific methods (formal-logical, analysis, synthesis, comparison) and specific legal methods (formal-legal, comparative-legal) to gather, process, and present information. The paper analyses the international experience in the legal regulation of posthumous consent for donation and explores its implementation in Ukraine. The study establishes that some countries have partially addressed the problem of organ shortage through legislative provisions allowing for the transplantation of organs from deceased donors. Ukraine has also conducted operations using posthumous donor material. During the investigation, it was found that in certain countries, including Ukraine, there is a presumption of donor dissent, meaning that a person is considered not willing to be a donor if they have not expressed their consent during their lifetime. Conversely, the concept of presumed consent considers a person to be a posthumous donor if they have not explicitly refused to be one during their lifetime. The study proposes and justifies the expediency of potential solutions to the organ shortage problem, including conducting extensive public awareness campaigns to promote the idea of posthumous donation, implementing presumed consent for posthumous donation, and continuing efforts to provide individuals with the option to make their choices regarding posthumous donation electronically. The results of this paper can be utilised to improve Ukrainian legislation in the field of posthumous donation and can be directly applied in the practices of legal professionals working in civil and medical law, and medical practitioners.

Experience of liver transplantation in the regional clinical hospital

The purpose of the study is to summarize the first experience of liver transplants. Material and methods. Liver transplantation was performed at the Regional Clinical Hospital. 5 liver transplants from a posthumous donor were performed. Based on the available data, the analysis was carried out according to the following criteria: gender, age, MELD- Na index, cause of liver cirrhosis, method of liver transplantation, duration of surgery, postoperative complications, average bed-day, outcome. Results. In total, 5 liver transplants were performed from a posthumous donor. Among the patients there was 1 man and 4 women. The age of men is 41 years, women are 55.4 ± 9.2 years on average. The MELD- Na index is from 15 to 28, on average 17.8 ± 5.1. When transplanting a cadaveric liver, the method of classical orthotopic liver transplantation was used in 4 cases, in one the piggyback technique was used. The duration of surgical intervention in minutes averaged 394 ± 17.4. Postoperative complications on the Clavien-Dindo scale ranged from I to IIIb. The average bed-day of the patient’s stay in the hospital is 20.2 ± 8.9, including 6.2 ± 1.7 days in the intensive care unit. In all 5 cases, the outcome of liver transplantation is satisfactory. Conclusion. The first results of liver transplantation on the basis of the Regional Clinical Hospital showed that performing such a level of operations is possible in a multidisciplinary medical institution.

История применения гомографтов в сосудистой хирургии (литературный обзор)

INTRODUCTION: In the article, problems of use of allografts from a posthumous donor in the practice of a vascular surgeon are analyzed. The need for donor material in special clinical situations is reflected. The main stages of the historical development of the use of homografts are listed. The experience of foreign and domestic authors in reconstructive interventions on the main vessels and aorta using homografts is demonstrated in the historical perspective of the XXth century. Historical milestones in the development of tissue banks in the world are considered on an example of America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Russia. The legal regulation of use of homografts is at present especially relevant for the Russian Federation. The use of homografts as a material for reconstruction is stated to be within the legal framework of the Russian Federation. A large number of modern studies in the 21st century are carried out with choice of cadaveric homografts, both cryopreserved and of wet storage, as the material for reconstruction of the main arteries. Critical ischemia is a probable indication for the use of cadaveric homographs, but their implantation shows ambiguous results. Infection of a permanent vascular access for hemodialysis can also be considered as an indication for the use of a venous homograph as the material for access reconstruction. CONCLUSION: The donor material is currently being actively used in the practice of vascular surgery in many centers, and the hope for the diversification of clinical indications is growing, as well as for homografts finding the place in Russian clinical guidelines in future.

Результаты применения мультидисциплинарного подхода в лечении больных циррозом печени в исходе хронических вирусных гепатитов

Aim – to evaluate the results of applying a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of patients with liver cirrhosis in the outcome of chronic viral hepatitis. Material and methods. From July 2018 to September 2021, 94 orthotopic liver transplants (OTLT) from a posthumous donor were performed at the surgical clinic of the Botkin Hospital. Of 94 recipients, 48 (51.1%) indicated for surgery as liver cirrhosis as a result of chronic viral hepatitis C (CVHC), in 8 (8.5%) cirrhosis as a result of chronic viral hepatitis B (CVHB). In the case of cirrhosis as a result of CVHB, the presence of viral replication was a contraindication for transplantation; patients with its presence at the stage of placing on the waiting list were sent to an infectious disease specialist to receive antiviral therapy (AVT). Prevention of recurrence of CVHB in the graft consisted of intraoperative, as well as early and late postoperative administration of 400–800 IU of immunoglobulin against hepatitis B. Among liver transplant recipients with liver cirrhosis in the outcome of CVHC, less than half (43.75%) did not have HCV RNA against the background of passed or the OEM received by the time of the operation. The rest of the patients had contraindications to AVT, and HCV eradication was performed after transplantation. Results. The average follow-up period for hepatic transplant recipients with liver cirrhosis as a result of CVHB was 12.28 ± 4.11 (7–23) months. Satisfactory graft function against the background of constant antiviral therapy was observed in all patients. No deaths were recorded. The average follow-up time for patients with cirrhosis of the liver in the outcome of chronic hepatitis C after OTTP was 21.67 ± 4.85 (1–38) months. Antiviral therapy was prescribed to 24 patients 2.7 ± 0.34 (2–4) months after surgery. Three patients did not receive AVT after surgery due to their low adherence to treatment. Satisfactory graft function was observed in all patients, confident virological response against the background of AVT – in 17 patients (70.8%). 7 patients (29.2%) are currently undergoing antiviral therapy. Of the three patients who did not receive AVT in the postoperative period of their own free will, 1 patient (33.3%) developed graft cirrhosis and death from decompensation of liver failure at 23 months after transplantation. Conclusion. The use of a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of patients with liver cirrhosis as a result of chronic viral hepatitis allows achieving a confident virological response, radically curing liver cirrhosis, thereby preventing associated complications, improving the quality of life of patients and restoring their ability to work.

Emergency interventional endovascular treatment for early disorder of arterial blood flow in the liver graft

Introduction. Liver transplantation is considered the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. X-ray endovascular interventions show good results in the treatment of vascular complications after transplantation. The timing, indications and choice of treatment methods require clarification.Objective. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of emergency X-ray endovascular interventions for arterial complications in the early period after liver transplantation.Material and methods. In the period from October 2016 by July 2021, 88 liver transplants were performed. The graft was obtained from a posthumous donor in 75 cases, and from a living donor (right lobe of the liver) in 13 cases. Arterial complications were registered in 10 cases: thrombosis of the hepatic artery in 7 (8.0%), constriction in 3 (3.4%); 4 patients underwent retransplantation due to thrombosis. This analysis included 6 patients aged 27 to 51 years, including 4 men and 2 women. In the early postoperative period (0–14 days), according to laboratory parameters, ultrasound Doppler, and computed tomography with a contrast agent, an impairment of the arterial blood supply of the graft was revealed, for which the patients underwent emergency X-ray image-guided surgical endovascular interventions.Results. Restoration of adequate arterial blood supply to the liver graft was achieved in all six patients. At the time of this writing, the graft function and patency of the hepatic artery were preserved at follow-up periods of 6, 11, 12, 22 (in two patients), and 26 months with a median of 17 months. Four patients developed biliary complications that required surgical correction.Conclusion. X-ray image-guided endovascular interventions can be considered effective and relatively safe in the treatment of patients with arterial complications after liver transplantation. The period of graft arterial ischemia should be minimized as much as possible in order to prevent biliary complications.

Changes in Hemodynamic Parameters in Various Morphological Changes in the Kidney Transplant in Children

Ultrasound scanning is one of the main methods of instrumental examination of patients after allogenic transplantation of kidney. The main reasons of dysfunction of the kidney transplant in long posttransplantation term are acute or chronic rejection, as well as acute and chronic nephrotoxicity of calcineurin inhibitors. The study includes an analysis of the medical history of 130 children with end-stage chronic renal failure who underwent 130 allogeneic kidney transplants from a posthumous donor. There were analyzed the results of 231 percutaneous puncture biopsies and ultrasound studies of renal transplants. The analyzed data of morphological studies are divided into 4 groups:1st group — there are no morphological changes affecting graft function;2nd group — morphological signs of calcineurin toxicity;3rd group — borderline damage of the graft;4th group — acute and chronic graft rejection;5th group — non-specific tubulointerstitial sclerosis and tubular atrophy.Indices of resistance and pulsation measured at the level of the renal artery and interlobular arteries tended to decrease in the kidneys with immunological influence and remained stable in other morphological groups. This means that, the higher the degree of hyalinosis of the arteries, the lower the indices of resistance and pulsation indices measured at the level of the common renal artery and interlobular arteries. The revealed tendency of a decrease in the values of the resistance index and the pulsation index at the level of the common renal artery of the interlobular arteries can be considered as one of the initial ultrasound signs that allow to speak of a decrease in the elasticity of the vascular wall. Normal indices of renal hemodynamics do not exclude the presence of pathological processes leading to graft dysfunction.

Problems of medical evacuation and in-patient treatment of patients and injured with sudden arrest of circulation occurred outside medical institution

Relevance. According to the data of the international register, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with mechanical circulatory support in the cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation complex can save up to 30% among patients with sudden cardiac death.Intention. Analyze the main logistical and organizational problems of patient treatment identified over the two years of operation of the Center for the Treatment of Sudden Cardiac Death.Methods. A retrospective analysis of patients admitted in the period from October 2017 to January 2020 in a state of clinical death to the Center for the Treatment of Sudden Cardiac Death of a university clinic was carried out.Results and Discussion. In the course of the analysis, the criteria for connecting ECMO- cardiopulmonary resuscitation were developed. In most cases, the primary cause of death was cardiogenic factors (AMI, PE, fatal arrhythmias, etc.), while AMI was confirmed in 33 episodes. During the entire period of the Center’s operation, not a single patient has been admitted that fully meets the criteria for ECMO- cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, the technology has been used as therapy for “despair” on six occasions. The main problem at present is long-term and multistage care outside the medical organization. The possibility of using ECMO posthumously was studied in order to preserve the organs of the corpse for subsequent transplantation. During two years of work, 11 effective donors were conditioned, thanks to which 22 kidney transplants and 2 liver transplants were successfully performed at the University.Conclusion. The experience gained has shown the need to revise the algorithms for providing care to patients with sudden circulatory arrest outside the medical organization, in order to expedite transportation to the ECMO center. In the case of ineffectiveness of extended resuscitation in the clinic, it is possible to consider the use of post mortem technology for conditioning a potential posthumous donor for the preservation of organs for the purpose of their subsequent transplantation.

Therapeutic and diagnostic algorithm for the treatment of lymphocele in renal transplant recipients

Relevance. Retroperitoneal lymphocele is one of the most common complications in renal transplant recipients.Objective. To improve the results of treatment of kidney transplant recipients with retroperitoneal lymphocele by using a modern diagnostic and treatment algorithmMaterials and methods. Materials and methods: From June 2018 to March 2021 at the State Clinical Hospital named after S.P. Botkin, Moscow performed 174 kidney transplants from a posthumous donor. The accumulation of lymph in the retroperitoneal space was recorded in 24 patients, which amounted to 13.7%. Indications for surgical correction were found in 16 patients, which amounted to 9.1%. Computed tomography in 10 patients (62.5%) showed a wide adherence of the lymphocele cavity to the parietal peritoneum; peritoneum, the complexity of the planned laparoscopic surgery was assessed as high. These patients underwent laparoscopic peritoneal fenestration with ultrasound navigation. In 2 patients (12.5%), lymphocele adherence to the peritoneum was not revealed; these patients underwent open surgery.Results. Results: No relapses of lymphocele were detected after surgery. Mortality was not recorded. In the group of patients who underwent laparoscopic peritoneal fenestration with predictable low complexity, one postoperative complication was diagnosed – migration of the loop of the small intestine into the lymphocele cavity with subsequent infringement. The duration of hospitalization with laparoscopic intervention was 2.1 ± 0.43 (2–3) days, with open one it was 8.45 ± 3.25 (7–12) (p = 0.001).Conclusion. The use of a modern diagnostic and treatment algorithm can improve the results of treatment of kidney transplant recipients with retroperitoneal lymphocele.

Hemodynamics in renal transplant in children with various morphological changes in the long-term post-transplant period

Introduction. Ultrasound scanning is one of the main methods of instrumental examination of patients after allogenic transplantation of kidney. The main reasons of dysfunction of the kidney transplant in long post-transplantation term are acute or chronic rejection, as well as acute and chronic nephrotoxicity of calcineurin inhibitors.Objective. Assessment of dopplerographic indicators of the blood flow throughout the transplanted kidney vessels in patients with preserved nitrogen excretion function under various morphological changes.Materials and methods. The study includes an analysis of the medical history of 98 children with end-stage chronic renal failure who underwent 98 allogeneic kidney transplants from a posthumous donor. There were analyzed the results of 185 percutaneous puncture biopsies and ultrasound studies of renal transplants. The analyzed data of morphological studies are divided into 4 groups. 1st group – there are no morphological changes affecting graft function. 2nd group – morphological signs of calcineurin toxicity. 3rd group – borderline damage of the graft. 4th group – acute and chronic graft rejection.Results and discussion. Indices of resistance and pulsation measured at the level of the renal artery and interlobular arteries tended to decrease in the kidneys with immunological influence and remained stable in other morphological groups. This means that, the higher the degree of hyalinosis of the arteries, the lower the indices of resistance and pulsation indices measured at the level of the common renal artery and interlobular arteries.Conclusions. The revealed tendency of a decrease in the values of the resistance index and the pulsation index at the level of the common renal artery of the interlobular arteries can be considered as one of the initial ultrasound signs that allow to speak of a decrease in the elasticity of the vascular wall. Normal indices of renal hemodynamics do not exclude the presence of pathological processes leading to graft dysfunction.

Deceased Organ Transplantation in Bangladesh: The Dynamics of Bioethics, Religion and Culture.

Organ transplantation from living related donors in Bangladesh first began in October 1982, and became commonplace in 1988. Cornea transplantation from posthumous donors began in 1984 and living related liver and bone marrow donor transplantation began in 2010 and 2014 respectively. The Human Organ Transplantation Act officially came into effect in Bangladesh on 13th April 1999, allowing organ donation from both brain-dead and related living donors for transplantation. Before the legislation, religious leaders issued fatwa, or religious rulings, in favor of organ transplantation. The Act was amended by the Parliament on 8th January, 2018 with the changes coming into effect shortly afterwards on 28th January. However, aside from a few posthumous corneal donations, transplantation of vital organs, such as the kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, and other body parts or organs from deceased donors, has remained absent in Bangladesh. The major question addressed in this article is why the transplantation of vital organs from deceased donors is absent in Bangladesh. In addition to the collection of secondary documents, interviews were conducted with senior transplant physicians, patients and their relatives, and the public, to learn about posthumous organ donation for transplantation. Interviews were also conducted with a medical student and two grief counselors to understand the process of counseling the families and obtaining consent to obtain posthumous cornea donations from brain-dead patients. An interview was conducted with a professional anatomist to understand the processes behind body donation for the purposes of medical study and research. Their narrative reveals that transplant physicians may be reticent to declare brain death as the stipulations of the 1999 act were unclear and vague. This study finds that Bangladeshis have strong family ties and experience anxiety around permitting separating body parts of dead relatives for organ donation for transplantation, or donating the dead body for medical study and research purposes. Posthumous organ donation for transplantation is commonly viewed as a wrong deed from a religious point of view. Religious scholars who have been consulted by the government have approved posthumous organ donation for transplantation on the grounds of necessity to save lives even though violating the human body is generally forbidden in Islam. An assessment of the dynamics of biomedicine, religion and culture leads to the conclusion that barriers to posthumous organ donation for transplantation that are perceived to be religious may actually stem from cultural attitudes. The interplay of faith, belief, religion, social norms, rituals and wider cultural attitudes with biomedicine and posthumous organ donation and transplantation is very complex. Although overcoming the barriers to organ donation for transplantation is challenging, initiation of transplantation of vital organs from deceased donors is necessary within Bangladesh. This will ensure improved healthcare outcomes, prevent poor people from being coerced into selling their organs to rich recipients, and protect the solidarity and progeny of Bangladeshi families.

Изучение мнения населения о посмертном донорстве в Республике Казахстан

Goal. Find out the opinion of the Kazakh population about post-mortem organ donation to save the lives of patients with terminal diseases of organs in need of transplantation. Material and methods. The survey was conducted in the form of an anonymous online questionnaire. Our study involved 1176 people, of these, 309 are male and 867 are female. The survey participants were citizens of different regions of the country and different nationalities, the average age of the participants was 38.7±1 years (18-73 years). Results and discussion. 422 participants (36%) agreed to become a posthumous donor, and 644 (55%) refused to donate. 88 (7.6%) of the participants doubted their choice, the other 22 participants did not answer this question. During the survey, out of 1,176 respondents, 991 (84%) participants know that organ transplantation is being carried out in the country, of which 384 (38.7%) participants agree to post-mortem donation, and 607 (61.2%) participants refuse post-mortem donation. 185 (16%) participants are not informed that organ transplantation is being performed in the country, of which 49 (26.5%) participants agree to post-mortem donation, and 136 (73.5%) participants refuse post-mortem donation. As a result, it was found that informed participants agreed to post-mortem donation in 38.7% of cases, and uninformed participants agreed in only 26.5% of cases. Conclusion. For the development of organ transplantation from a cadaveric donor in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to inform the population about organ transplants carried out in large transplant centers of the country, and with good long-term results, to inform the population about the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan on organ transplantation. It is very important for the population to guarantee security and huge support from the government of the country. In addition, for the development of organ transplantation from a posthumous donor in Kazakhstan, a lot depends not only on the population of the country itself, but also on social, moral, ethical, economic, and humanitarian support from the state government. Organ transplantation from a post-mortem donor is one of the most complex types of medical care, requiring a high level of professional and material support and coordinated actions at all levels of management. This area cannot develop without the support of society, the government, as well as without a positive view of the population. Keywords: organ transplantation, donor, opinion of the population of Kazakhstan.

ПІДТРИМКА ПРИЙНЯТТЯ РІШЕНЬ ЩОДО МОЖЛИВОСТІ ДОНОРСТВА НА ОСНОВІ ЦИВІЛЬНО-ПРАВОВИХ ПІДСТАВ

In this paper, the actuality and importance of the process of supporting the decision-making about the possibility of donation based on the civil law grounds are proved. This realized process will help to decide about the possibility or impossibility of donation, in any case, taking into account all existing civil law grounds. A review of the literature was conducted. It proved that the known information systems in the field of donation and transplantology don’t propose the method of supporting the decision-making about the possibility of donation based on the civil law grounds. The review of the civil law grounds of donation in Ukraine was conducted. Production rules and method of supporting the decision-making about the possibility of donation based on civil law grounds has been first time developed. This method helps to the transplantation clinic staff to correctly form the Register of donors (living donors and posthumous donors), taking into account all current civil law grounds. The developed method standardizes the procedure of including donors in the Register, minimizing the impact of subjectivism and the human factor herewith. Thus, the developed method of supporting the decision-making about the possibility of donation minimizes the damage that the whole medical transplantation system may suffer and leverages the occurrence for its improvement. Experiment has shown that the developed method is workable and effective in determining the possibility of donation based on all currently existing civil law grounds in the complex. The perspective direction of the future authors' work is the design and development of the subsystem for supporting the decision-making about the possibility of donationn– on the basis of the production rules and method of support of making the decision about donation possibility on the basis of civil law grounds, which are developed in this paper.

Characteristics of postmortem organ donors in N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine and the donor hospitals of FMBA of Russia (2008–2017)

Rationale.There have been only single studies conducted in the Russian Federation to characterize the posthumous donor population.Objective:Identifying the main characteristics of the donor pool in N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine of Moscow Healthcare Department and in the State Research Center – A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, FMBA, for the period from 2008–2017.Material and methods.The clinical records of 429 actual and effective posthumous donors were analyzed retrospectively. The following characteristics were studied: gender, age, permanent place of residence, cause of death, the duration of mechanical lung ventilation, type of donation, total number of harvested organs, and number of organs recovered per donor.Results.There were 281 male and 148 female donors. The increase in the mean age of donors from 37 to 48.5 years was noted. Cerebrovascular disease and traumatic brain injury became the main causes of death. Since 2012, the rate of cerebrovascular diseases as the cause of donor death has increased from 30% to 70%. Of 429 actual donors, the brain death was diagnosed in 366 (85.3%). Four hundred eight deceased became effective donors. A total of 1,247 donor organs (744 kidneys, 220 livers, 42 pancreas, 2 intestines, 180 hearts, 58 lungs, and 1 facial vascularized composite allograft) were obtained. The mean number of donor organs recovered per donor was 3.06.Conclusions.The results obtained can be used to develop unified protocols and results of posthumous donors and to assess the possible volume of transplant care. In the period 2008–2017 an increase in the average age of posthumous donors (from 38.1 to 48.7 years) due to the proportion of donors in the 18–29 age group (from 29 to 4%) and an increase in the proportion of donors in the age group over 60 (from 3 to 15%). From 2012 to 2017 (from 68 to 29%) due to an increase in the number of donors who died as a result of cerebrovascular diseases (from 30 to 71%). Among the posthumous donors delivered by ambulance teams directly to the intensive care units, 69% of the consciousness level was depressed to 5 and lower on the Glasgow coma scale.

A Systematic Narrative Review of Effects of Community-Based Intervention on Rates of Organ Donor Registration.

The demand for organ donation is increasing worldwide. One possible way of increasing the pool of potential posthumous donors is to encourage more members of the general public to join an organ donor registry. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of psychological interventions designed to increase the number of individuals in the community who register as organ donors. PsycINFO and PubMed databases were searched. No date limits were set. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials exploring the effects of community-based interventions on organ donor registration rates were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the "Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies." Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria; 19 studies found a positive intervention effect on registration. Only 8 studies were assessed as having reasonable methodological robustness. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Factors influencing registration rates include providing an immediate registration opportunity and using brief interventions to challenge misconceptions and concerns about organ donation. Community-based interventions can be effective at increasing organ donor registrations among the general public. Factors that may increase effectiveness include brief interventions to address concerns and providing an immediate registration opportunity. Particular consideration should be paid to the fidelity of intervention delivery. Protocol registration number: CRD42014012975.

Trust and altruism--organ distribution scandals: do they provide good reasons to refuse posthumous donation?

A recent organ distribution scandal in Germany raises questions of general importance on which many thousands of lives may well depend. The scandal in Germany has produced reactions that are likely to occur whenever and wherever distribution irregularities occur and become public knowledge. After it had become known that physicians in three German hospitals were in the habit of manipulating records in order to fast-track their patients' cases, the country experienced a decrease of available organs by a staggering 40% in October 2012. Even though this loss of trust by donors and their families is understandable, and potentially a legitimate form of protest against wrongful distribution, the withdrawal of agreement to serve as a posthumous donor in response to irregularities also inevitably results in avoidable poor outcomes for highly vulnerable individuals. In this paper, we provide a moral analysis of such dilemmas and make recommendations as to the way forward.

Attitudes and acceptance of First Person Authorization

First Person Authorization (i.e., donor designation) legislation makes indicating one's intent to be a posthumous organ donor legally binding, much like a living will or advance directive. Such legislation is the most recent in a long history of organ donation policies in the United States and has received little attention in the literature. This retrospective cohort study recruited nine US organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and their staff who make requests for organ donation as well as family decision makers approached by OPO staff about organ donation. Telephone interviews (N = 1,087) with family decision makers assessed the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors regarding the request for organ donation of families of designated donors as compared with those of patients who did not formally designate themselves as donors. Almost two thirds (65.7%) of the families of registered donors were aware of the decedent's decision to register as a posthumous donor. Family decision makers who authorized donation and those of designated donors exhibited greater knowledge of organ donation and more positive attitudes than decision makers who refused to donate. Families of designated donors had more favorable perceptions of the request for organ donation and were more satisfied with both the time spent discussing donation and the request process; fewer donor designation families were surprised at the request for donation. The enactment of First Person Authorization legislation increases the likelihood of familial authorization and satisfaction with the final donation outcome. As compared with other families approached about the option of organ donation, families of designated donors report having a more positive experience with the organ donation request process overall and greater comfort and satisfaction with the donation decision. Epidemiologic study, level II.

Value Priorities and Organ Donation in Young Adults

This research identifies major personal values among American university students that predict organ-donation registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Participants responded to a factual test of their knowledge about organ donation, indicated whether or not they had registered as posthumous donors, and filled out a personality inventory measuring their personal values (Schwartz, 1992, 1994). The data indicated a high level of factual knowledge about organ donation; and the greater the level of knowledge, the more likely participants were registered to donate their organs. Also, participants higher in benevolence, universalism, achievement, and stimulation were more likely to have registered to donate their organs. The results are discussed in terms of the need to develop more effective health-communication campaigns by using specific health-education messages tailored to students majoring in different disciplines or to people in various occupations as a means of increasing their willingness to donate.

Willingness to donate organs and tissues in Vietnam

Few studies on public attitudes toward organ and tissue donation have been carried out in Asia. To determine demographic influences on attitudes toward organ and tissue donation in Vietnam. Face-to-face interviews. Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Random sample of adults (N = 785). Awareness of donation and transplantation, acceptance of organ and tissue donation. 75% of respondents stated they had heard of organ or tissue donation, but only 55% were aware of organ and tissue transplantation taking place in Vietnam. Forty-eight percent of Buddhists and 27.5% of Christians had either no knowledge or incorrect knowledge about their religion's official position toward donation and transplantation. Sixty-four percent stated they would give consent for the donation of their decreased relative's tissues and organs, 66% would themselves become posthumous donors, and 21% to 22% would donate multiple organs and tissues. A significant association was found between respondents' acceptance of organ and tissue donation and their educational level, sex, occupation, and awareness of transplantation. Most respondents stated that their willingness to donate depended on whether other family members agreed. Many noted the importance of preventing commerce in organ and tissue transplantation but were in favor of providing healthcare for the donor's family or monetary incentives as a reward for donating. Nearly two thirds of urban Vietnamese surveyed were willing to donate organs or tissues after death. Their willingness was related to awareness of transplantation, sex, education level, and occupation.

Willingness to Donate Organs and Tissues in Vietnam

Context Few studies on public attitudes toward organ and tissue donation have been carried out in Asia. Objective To determine demographic influences on attitudes toward organ and tissue donation in Vietnam. Design Face-to-face interviews. Setting Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Participants Random sample of adults (N=785). Main Outcome Measures Awareness of donation and transplantation, acceptance of organ and tissue donation. Results 75% of respondents stated they had heard of organ or tissue donation, but only 55% were aware of organ and tissue transplantation taking place in Vietnam. Forty-eight percent of Buddhists and 27.5% of Christians had either no knowledge or incorrect knowledge about their religion's official position toward donation and transplantation. Sixty-four percent stated they would give consent for the donation of their deceased relative's tissues and organs, 66% would themselves become posthumous donors, and 21% to 22% would donate multiple organs and tissues. A significant association was found between respondents' acceptance of organ and tissue donation and their educational level, sex, occupation, and awareness of transplantation. Most respondents stated that their willingness to donate depended on whether other family members agreed. Many noted the importance of preventing commerce in organ and tissue transplantation but were in favor of providing healthcare for the donor's family or monetary incentives as a reward for donating. Conclusion Nearly two thirds of urban Vietnamese surveyed were willing to donate organs or tissues after death. Their willingness was related to awareness of transplantation, sex, education level, and occupation.