BP profiles in the organ recipient

Summary

In the past decade, the number of organs retrieved from patients following a diagnosis of brain-stem death (referred to as DBD donors) has declined, following a reduction in deaths from trauma and changes in neurosurgical practice.

In contrast, the use of kidneys from donors who have died following circulatory death (DCD donors) has risen sharply from 3% of all deceased donors in 2000 to over 40% in 2012.

When consent has been obtained for organ donation following circulatory death, the donor passes through a number of phases before organs are retrieved, and the organs are exposed to different circumstances prior to transplantation.

Each of these phases may affect the quality of the transplanted organs as the patient undergoes many physiological and biochemical changes, including changes in blood pressure.

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of different patterns of blood pressure profiles on short term outcomes in the organ recipient.