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Legal and Ethical Issues Related to Nonheart Beating Organ Donation
Author(s) -
McKenney Elizabeth,
Parker Bridgette
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/s0001-2092(06)60711-4
Subject(s) - organ donation , ethical issues , perioperative , medicine , donation , intensive care medicine , perioperative nursing , business , transplantation , engineering ethics , surgery , political science , law , engineering
Major breakthroughs in immunosuppressant medication and advances in surgical techniques have increased the number of successful transplantations, but the demand for organs far outweighs the supply. People continue to die while waiting for donor organs to become available. Nonheart beating organ donation is a means of increasing the supply of organs to be transplanted. It is based on cardiac cessation criteria. This article explores the ethical and legal considerations, as well as implications for perioperative nurses. AORN J 77 (May 2003) 973–976.