Ethical controversies surrounding the management of potential organ donors in the emergency department

Abstract

Background: On a daily basis, emergency physicians are confronted by patients with devastating neurological injuries and insults. Some of these patients, despite our best efforts, will not survive. However, from these tragedies, there may be benefit given to others who are awaiting organ transplantation. Steps taken in the emergency department (ED) can be critical to preserving the option of organ donation in patients whose neurologic insult places them on a potential path to declaration of brain death. Much of the literature on this subject has focused on the utilitarian value of clinical interventions in the potential organ donor to optimize the likelihood of effective organ procurement.

Case presentation: In this article, we present an actual case that reveals additional ethical perspectives to consider in how emergency physicians manage patients in the ED who can be confidently predicted to progress to death, as attested by neurologic criteria, and become organ donors. The case involves a patient with a devastating, nonsurvivable intracerebral hemorrhage who rapidly progressed to hemodynamic instability.

Discussion: This case reveals how the current organ donor referral and maintenance system raises ethical tensions for emergency physicians and ED personnel.

Conclusion: This process imposes limitations on communication with patient surrogate decision-makers while calling for interventions with the primary purpose of benefiting off-site patients awaiting transplantation.

Keywords: emergency department; emergency medicine; ethics; organ donation; organ procurement.