Encephalic death and organ and tissue donation: Knowing the rate of effective donations at a hospital in Serra Gaúcha

Abstract

There is a significant discrepancy between the demand of patients waiting on transplant queues when compared to the amount of transplants performed. Purpose: To measure the donation rate of organs and tissues from patients diagnosed with brain death from 2013 to 2017. Method: A cross-sectional study developed in the city of Caxias do Sul, RS. Data collection was performed in the first half of 2018, and data were descriptively analyzed by absolute and relative frequencies. The odds ratio and associations were calculated by the Chi-Square test of Wald, considering p <0.05 as statistical significance. Results: The donation rate of organs and tissues was of 48.15% in a population of 216 patients, and the family negative was the main reason for non-donation (28.24%). Among the associations correlated to the outcome of the donation, civil status and stroke are the main causes for the ME. Conclusion: New studies with more robust designs in different centers and larger populations are necessary, so that associations and outcomes can be more deeply assessed. Awareness and awareness raising actions are necessary when referring to the family denial as cause for non-donation.