Uncontrolled donation after circulatory death

Summary

Currently there is no mechanism in the UK for people who die unexpectedly to become organ donors.

Programmes to support donation of this type, ‘uncontrolled donation after circulatory death’ (uDCD), in which patients who suffer an unexpected cardiac arrest outside of a critical care setting become organ donors, have been trialled in the UK before. These have seen relatively poor results following transplantation and the logistical challenges in preserving the organs prior to donation led to the abandonment of this pathway in the UK. 

Work in France and Spain over the past few years have changed the way that blood is kept circulating after death to produce better transplant outcomes. This study is looking to see if uDCD donation might now be possible in the UK and look at the impact it has on donor families.