The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis
Background. Solid-organ transplantation (SOT) has been proven to be a highly effective and life-saving treatment modality for adults and children suffering from end-stage organ failure. However, high paediatric waiting-list mortality has been reported, and children may suffer irreversible physi...
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South African Medical Association
2024-04-01
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| Series: | South African Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/1330 |
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| author | T Siyotula J Barrell K Manning D Thomson M McCulloch T du Toit |
| author_facet | T Siyotula J Barrell K Manning D Thomson M McCulloch T du Toit |
| author_sort | T Siyotula |
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Background. Solid-organ transplantation (SOT) has been proven to be a highly effective and life-saving treatment modality for adults and children suffering from end-stage organ failure. However, high paediatric waiting-list mortality has been reported, and children may suffer irreversible physical and deleterious psychological effects if not transplanted timeously.
Objectives. To identify in-hospital barriers to organ donation and gain a better understanding of the paediatric donor landscape. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study of consecutive deceased-donor referrals at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital over a 14-year period, from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2020.
Results. During the study period, 156 in-hospital deaths were recorded in the trauma unit and 1 425 in the paediatric intensive care unit. Ninety-three of the 1 581 patients (5.9%) were referred to the on-call transplant co-ordinator as potential organ donors, of whom 69% had been involved in a traumatic accident, including 52% in road traffic collisions. The mean age of the potential donors was 7 years with 60.2% being boys. On initial assessment, 67 of the 93 potential donors (72%) were assessed as eligible for donation of at least one solid organ. The transplant co-ordinator attempted to approach all families for consent; however, five families/next of kin could not be located despite multiple attempts. Among the remaining 62 eligible donors, 44 families/next-of-kin declined consent for solid-organ donation, resulting in a consent rate of 29% (n=18). Several families refused consent for religious reasons. One of the consented donors did not proceed to procurement as there were no suitable recipients. Seventeen donors proceeded to theatre, the intention being solid-organ procurement, but in 2 donors the organs were assessed as being unsuitable for transplant. From the remaining 15 donors, a total of 46 organs were procured and successfully transplanted: 14 livers, 30 kidneys and 2 hearts.
Conclusion. During the 14-year study period, only 15 deceased donors could be utilised for SOT, as a result of low in-hospital referral (5.9%) and consent rates (29%). The reasons for low referral and consent rates are complex and often multifactorial, which the current study was not designed to investigate in sufficient detail. Future studies should be designed to further interrogate our findings, while accommodating for nuances specific to the paediatric deceased-donor population and their families.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d9255a1ef3f4f238b921ad5c1380da8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0256-9574 2078-5135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | South African Medical Association |
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| series | South African Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d9255a1ef3f4f238b921ad5c1380da82025-02-10T12:26:13ZengSouth African Medical AssociationSouth African Medical Journal0256-95742078-51352024-04-011143b10.7196/SAMJ.2024.v114i3b.1330The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysisT Siyotula0J Barrell1K Manning2D Thomson3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2433-3611M McCulloch4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2876-4785T du Toit5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8840-9032Department of Surgery, Division of Paediatric Surgery, University of Cape Town, and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Paediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of Cape Town, and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa Background. Solid-organ transplantation (SOT) has been proven to be a highly effective and life-saving treatment modality for adults and children suffering from end-stage organ failure. However, high paediatric waiting-list mortality has been reported, and children may suffer irreversible physical and deleterious psychological effects if not transplanted timeously. Objectives. To identify in-hospital barriers to organ donation and gain a better understanding of the paediatric donor landscape. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study of consecutive deceased-donor referrals at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital over a 14-year period, from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2020. Results. During the study period, 156 in-hospital deaths were recorded in the trauma unit and 1 425 in the paediatric intensive care unit. Ninety-three of the 1 581 patients (5.9%) were referred to the on-call transplant co-ordinator as potential organ donors, of whom 69% had been involved in a traumatic accident, including 52% in road traffic collisions. The mean age of the potential donors was 7 years with 60.2% being boys. On initial assessment, 67 of the 93 potential donors (72%) were assessed as eligible for donation of at least one solid organ. The transplant co-ordinator attempted to approach all families for consent; however, five families/next of kin could not be located despite multiple attempts. Among the remaining 62 eligible donors, 44 families/next-of-kin declined consent for solid-organ donation, resulting in a consent rate of 29% (n=18). Several families refused consent for religious reasons. One of the consented donors did not proceed to procurement as there were no suitable recipients. Seventeen donors proceeded to theatre, the intention being solid-organ procurement, but in 2 donors the organs were assessed as being unsuitable for transplant. From the remaining 15 donors, a total of 46 organs were procured and successfully transplanted: 14 livers, 30 kidneys and 2 hearts. Conclusion. During the 14-year study period, only 15 deceased donors could be utilised for SOT, as a result of low in-hospital referral (5.9%) and consent rates (29%). The reasons for low referral and consent rates are complex and often multifactorial, which the current study was not designed to investigate in sufficient detail. Future studies should be designed to further interrogate our findings, while accommodating for nuances specific to the paediatric deceased-donor population and their families. https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/1330PotentialEligibleActualUtilizedDonor |
| spellingShingle | T Siyotula J Barrell K Manning D Thomson M McCulloch T du Toit The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis South African Medical Journal Potential Eligible Actual Utilized Donor |
| title | The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis |
| title_full | The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis |
| title_fullStr | The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis |
| title_short | The state of paediatric deceased-organ donation at a South African tertiary public- sector hospital: A 14-year analysis |
| title_sort | state of paediatric deceased organ donation at a south african tertiary public sector hospital a 14 year analysis |
| topic | Potential Eligible Actual Utilized Donor |
| url | https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/1330 |
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