Procuring Organs for Transplant: The Debate over Non-Heart-Beating Cadaver Protocols

In 1993, approximately 30,000 patients were on waiting lists for organ transplant surgery. Thanks to advances in medical technology and immunology, the number of transplant patients continues to grow, but the number of available organs falls woefully short of the demand. In response to the growing need for transplantable organs, certain institutions are discussing new protocols in the hope of expanding the donor pool. This book explores the issues surrounding the procurement of organs for transplantation purposes from "non-heart-beating cadaver donors" (NHBCDs). NHBCDs are patients who have been declared dead by cardiopulmonary criteria rather than neurologic criteria ("brain dead"). An expanded version of a special issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, the book includes all the original journal articles, as well as five new chapters which deal with "in situ" preservation, an innovative method used to procure organs from patients who suffer unexpected cardiac arrests. The book is the first comprehensive analysis of the ethical, social, and public policy implications of these rapidly growing methods for organ procurement. It will be of interest to professionals and academics in the fields of organ transplantation, ethics, general medicine, and medical research.