Potential and evolution of organ donation in Galicia (Spain) 2006-2011

Jacinto Sanchez-Ibañez¹, Marta Alvarez Vazquez¹, Encarnacion Bouzas Caamaño¹

¹Regional Transplant Coordination, Galician health Service, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Aim: To describe the potential for donation in Galicia and to study its evolution in the last 6 years,

Material and methods: We analyzed all ICU deaths (ICUDs) from 2006-2011, specifically all with intracranial diseases (ICDs) that can develop brain death (BD), their evolution to BD and to donor. We evaluated the age impact and the cause of death in the total number of BDs and organ donors.

Results:  We analyzed 9,280 ICUDs where we knew the cause of death (98.7% of the total number of ICUDs from all the authorized hospitals). 27.4% died from  ICDs, of whom 37.8% developed BD, 52.8% of these finally becoming organ donors.  The median age of ICUDs was 71 years old, 68 years old for the ICDs. The most frequent causes of death in the ICD group were cerebrovascular accident (59.2%), non traffic brain trauma (15.2%) and anoxia (14.4%). During 2006-2011 the ICUD percentage decreased by 11%, ICDs decreased by 12.8%, especially cerebrovascular accident and traffic brain trauma. Nevertheless the total number of BDs and donors has been maintained. The median age of ICUDs and  ICDs was maintained but BD increased from 61 to 71 years old and actual donors from 58 to 60 years old. These figures varied slightly between hospital with or without neurosurgery but the trend was the same.

Conclusion: ICUDs is decreasing progressively, including from ICDs in all the hospitals. Nevertheless the total number of BDs and organ donors remain constant, probably due to the ongoing improvement in the work done by hospital transplant coordinators.

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