A recent study compared the outcomes of lung transplants using organs from different types of deceased organ donor care facilities in the United States. The findings shed light on potential enhancements in organ donation and transplantation practices nationwide.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Penn explored the variations in lung transplant outcomes between organs from two types of deceased organ donor care facilities in the United States. The results, published in JAMA Network Open, provide valuable insights for improving the organ donation and transplantation processes.
In the U.S., deceased organ donors are traditionally cared for in hospitals where they receive intensive care and necessary testing for organ rehabilitation, recipient identification, and organ recovery surgeries. In the last twenty years, some donors have been moved from hospitals to donor care units (DCUs), which offer similar services but specialize in deceased donors. There are two types of DCUs in the U.S.: independent DCUs located outside acute-care hospitals, and hospital-based DCUs.
Researchers studied lung donation rates and transplant survival outcomes from nearly eleven thousand deceased donors who underwent organ recovery procedures between April 2017 and June 2022. Initially, it was hypothesized that lung transplant outcomes would not differ significantly between the two types of donor care units. Contrary to expectations, the study revealed that recipients of lungs from hospital-based DCUs showed better survival rates, despite independent DCUs having higher donation rates.
“These findings could drive enhancements in organ donor management practices nationwide, ultimately improving the quality and availability of donated organs,” said Dr. Emily Vail, the lead researcher and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania. The study highlights the evolving care system for deceased organ donors, which has the potential to enhance organ quality and increase the number of available organs per donor.
Dr. Vail’s research is especially significant due to the delicate nature of lung tissue and the strict criteria for lung donation. With only about 20% of deceased donors meeting the eligibility requirements for lung donation, efficient and effective donor management practices are crucial.
The Gift of Life Donor Care Center at Penn Medicine, established in late 2022, is one of at least 15 hospital-based DCUs currently operating in the United States. The center’s transplant coordinators collaborate with a diverse team of critical care professionals to provide specialized care for deceased organ donors diagnosed with brain death and authorized to donate organs, while offering support to their families. The Gift of Life Donor Care Center caters to hospitals and donor families across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.
The research was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research (5K12HS026372-05), the National Institutes of Health National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disease (R01-DK070869, K24AI146137), and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (K24HL115353).
