Publication
Title
Belgian modified classification of Maastricht for donors after circulatory death
Author
Institution/Organisation
Belgian Working Group on DCD National Protocol
Abstract
Background Non-heart-beating donors, or, in a more recent and international definition, donors after circulatory death, are a potential and additional group of deceased persons who are able to add organs to the pool. Methods A new classification is proposed on the basis of the result of a consensus of experts issued from all Belgian transplant centers. Results The first level of definition is simple and based on whether the situation is uncontrolled (categories I and II) or controlled (categories III, IV, and V). In category I, the patient is declared dead on arrival and, in category II, there is an unsuccessful resuscitation whether it occurred out or in the hospital for both situations. Category III is the most usual situation in which the treating physician and family are awaiting cardiac arrest to declare the death of the patient. Category IV is always characterized by cardiac arrest during brain death. The special situation of the Belgian law allowing the euthanasia is elaborated in category V, euthanasia, and includes patients who grant access to medically assisted circulatory death. Organ donation after euthanasia is allowed under the scope of donation after circulatory death. Conclusions This classification conserves the skeleton of the Maastricht one, as it is simple and clear, but classifies easily the different donors after circulatory death types by processes for ethical issues and for the non-medical or non-specialized reader interested in the field. This is also an argument for public consideration and trust in the difficult field of organ donation. Nonheart-beating donors (NHBD), or, in a more recent and international definition, donors after circulatory death (DCD), are a potential and additional group of deceased persons who are able to add organs to the pool. Harmonization in definition and classification would be very useful.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Transplantation proceedings. - New York, N.Y.
Publication
New York, N.Y. : 2014
ISSN
0041-1345
DOI
10.1016/J.TRANSPROCEED.2014.09.169
Volume/pages
46 :9 (2014) , p. 3138-3142
ISI
000345812200050
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 20.04.2015
Last edited 25.05.2022
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