Detecting tissue donors and donor profiles in a hospital emergency department

Segura González F, Mora Ordóñez MB, Nieto de Haro ML, Daga Ruiz D

To evaluate a hospital emergency departments potential to provide tissue donors and to

assess the profiles of those donors. Retrospective descriptive study of a series of patients

who died in a hospital emergency department between January 1 and December 31,

2011. Demographic, clinical, and emergency care data were collected and analyzed for

both potential and actual tissue donors. A total of 152 572 emergencies were attended

and 274 deaths (0.18%) occurred. Twenty-nine (10.6%) of the patients who died

fulfilled the criteria for donating tissues, but only 4 of them (1.5% of the total who died,

13.7% of the potential donors) actually donated. We found no statistically significant

differences between the profiles of potential and actual donors. There is a substantial

discrepancy between the percentage of actual and potential donors in a hospital

emergency department. Efforts should be made to raise awareness of tissue donation

among emergency department physicians as well as to improve communication

between them and the transplant coordinator in order to increase the number of

donations.

Daga Ruiz D, Mora Ordóñez MB, Nieto de Haro ML, Segura González F