Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Temple University Hospital Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
With so many patients waiting for transplant, the option to save a life by donating organs may help families come to some resolution of grief over the death of a loved one. The speaker will identify the optimal timing for medical intervention to make sure any patient who experiences a non-cardiac death may still be a viable organ donor. Early intervention to maintain organ function provides time for evaluation by the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and discussion with the family about potential organ donation. Standardized protocols for the critical care management of the organ donor will be discussed.
