Controlled non-heart beating donation programme

Kidneys and other solid organs as well as tissue retrieval for non-heart beating donors is not a new concept. Non heart beating donation is considered in situations where a patient who is dying cannot be diagnosed as dead using brain stem criteria. This offers the family a choice to donate organs which would otherwise not have been available. It allows health care professionals to carry out the wishes of the deceased to donate when that is known.

The programme has been active since February 2005 for kidney and pancreatic eyelet cell donation and since September 2006 for liver donation.

Further information regarding the CNHBD programme at the South West transplant centre is available in .pdf format. Please click on them to open the file.

The programme is in accordance with the British Transplant Society guidelines.