National: Organ donations from deceased patients in decline

The percentage of deceased patients becoming organ donors has fallen, according to the latest annual report, regarding 2021, from the National ICU Audit.
 
In that year, 103 patients were diagnosed with brain death, with only 50 of those deceased becoming organ donors.

In 27 cases, non consent from family members was the primary reason for patients not becoming an organ donor, however, most families (72%) did consent to their family member becoming an organ donor, which is high by international standards.

In 2020, 98 patients were diagnosed with brain death with 49 becoming organ donors. In 2019, 110 patients were diagnosed with the same and 59 became organ donors.

In 2021, 10 patients became organ donors after circulatory death, which saw an increase from 8 in 2019 and 6 in 2020.

According to the report, organ donations from deceased has fallen since 2019 from 4.7% (67 patients) to 3.6% in 2020 (55 patients) and 3% (60 patients) in 2021.

76% of all patients who died from brain death were referred to organ donation personnel for organ donation consideration, with the report noting it is "considered good practice to refer all patients diagnosed with brain death to organ donation personnel for consideration as organ donors"

"There are few absolute contraindications to organ donation from brain-death patients, and even patients who seem unsuitable as donors may be considered in certain circumstances."

Patients who died from brain death made up 5.2% of all deaths in the audit.

The report, which will be published later today, provides data on 96% of all ICU (Intensive Care Unit) activity in 2021, regarding 11,420 patients in 26 units across 22 hospitals.

Clinical Lead of the Irish National ICU Audit, Professor Rory Dwyer, said the report "Sheds light on the pressure on ICU bed availability, particularly during surges in the Covid pandemic" and in 2021, 74% of patients admitted to ICU "survived to leave hospital alive thanks to allocation of significant resources by the healthcare system to this area", adding "This investment needs to continue in order to meet the challenges of our evolving healthcare landscape."