Current research on organ donor management

Careful management of the potential donor, both before and after neurologic death, is crucial for successful outcomes of organ transplantation. Many studies have shown that adherence to DMGs is associated with improved outcomes, and these should be used as guides in optimizing the physiology of all the organ systems. However, despite vast improvements in donor management over the past decades, further research is needed. Recent studies examining topics such as using preload responsiveness to guide fluid resuscitation,⁶⁵ N-acetylcysteine,⁶⁶⁶⁵ and the use of vasopressin⁹ have focused on testable hypotheses and opened the door for future studies. A recent editorial describes an urgent need for prospective, randomized trials involving deceased organ donors, citing organ donation as having a paucity of current clinical trials.⁶⁷ The hope is that this call for action will lead to further advances in the field of organ donor management. Critical care providers, inside the ICU and the operating room, are poised to have a significant influence in these efforts.