In the episode of Three Rivers, a young man, Daniel, is hit by a car and is brain dead. His mom says it looks like he’s sleeping.
- Daniel is brain dead. He is not sleeping although lying in the bed he looks peaceful as though he is sleeping.
- BRAIN DEATH IS DEATH – It is not the same as a coma and is an established medical and legal diagnosis of death. The time brain death is declared is documented on the patient’s death certificate.
- A complete brain death examination is extensive and must be done under controlled conditions.
- Tests include a clinical examination to show that the patient has no brain reflexes and cannot breathe on his or her own. A blood flow test (cerebral angiogram) or an EEG (electronecephalogram) may also be ordered. These tests are done to confirm the absence of blood flow to the brain or brain activity.
- There has never been a documented case of recovery from brain death under circumstances where all confirmatory and clinical tests have been performed accurately.
- Per OPTN/UNOS policy, the host organ procurement organization (OPO) is responsible for verifying that death has been pronounced according to applicable state law.
- For more resources about brain death – visit the IOPO website at www.iopo.org and click on the Gift of Life Learning Center.
In the same episode a young woman, Christy, needs a lung transplant. Dr. Yoblansky offers Christy a difficult decision: take lungs that are slightly damaged and perhaps die tonight, or risk not getting another offer for lungs and dying within weeks.
- To ensure that life-saving organs are distributed fairly, there are a number of detailed policies governing the nation’s organ transplant system. These policies are developed by a consensus of organ transplant and procurement professionals, patients and donor families.
- Adherence to transplant policy is ensured through a comprehensive, systematic auditing and monitoring process. The policy compliance process is designed to maintain the highest standards in patient safety and foster public trust in the transplant network. Any deviation from policy is corrected quickly and thoroughly to protect patients and ensure that their treatment is not interrupted.
- The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the non-profit organization that operates the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role UNOS coordinates organ transplant policy development and compliance, maintains the nation’s waiting list, matches donated organs with transplant candidates and collects data on every transplant patient and donor in the United States.
- UNOS plays an important role in bringing together the transplant community to protect patients and the public trust by ensuring that organ allocation policies are followed by all transplant centers and organ procurement organizations in the United States. www.UNOS.org
For more resources about transplants, visit www.transplantliving.org or contact one of Indiana’s three transplant centers: Clarian Health, www.clarian.org, Lutheran Transplant Center, www.lutheranhospital.com, St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, www.theheartcenter.com
