How the mode of organ donation affects family behaviour at the time of organ donation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: End of life and organ donation discussions come at a time of acute emotional unrest for grieving relatives. Their attitudes and eventual decisions regarding consent to organ donation are shaped by multiple factors during these stressful periods. At our tertiary centre intensive care unit, we anecdotally observed that the mode of organ donation affects family behaviour as to whether families stay until transfer to theatre for organ recovery, or leave after consenting for donation. We sought to ascertain if this observation was true and then to hypothesise reasons for why this may be the case. METHODS: Records of patients consented for deceased organ donation between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2017 at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust were reviewed and analysed. RESULTS: After exclusion criteria were applied, 91 patient cases were included in the final analysis (donation after brainstem death (DBD), 36; donation after circulatory death (DCD), 55). Thirty-six per cent of DBD families stayed until the point of organ recovery compared to 80% of DCD families (p < 0.00001). DISCUSSION: We hypothesise that this family behaviour may be indicative of an acceptance in DBD of the patient's death, and therefore that the patient has moved beyond further harm. For this reason, the family may feel able to leave after consent for donation. A greater understanding of how family behaviours differ depending on the mode of organ donation may aid how these families are best cared for in the intensive care unit.