LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Describe four common organ procurement practices that transgress the Dead Donor Rule when death is determined on neurologic or circulatory criteria.
• Appraise the ethical seriousness of Dead Donor Rule violations.
• Evaluate four leading approaches for addressing Dead Donor Rule violations.

 ABSTRACT

Multiple high-profile Congressional hearings have spotlighted significant violations of the Dead Donor Rule. This most sacrosanct commandment in bioethics prohibits obtaining non-paired organs from individuals until they are already determined dead. Yet clinicians from coast to coast violate the Dead Donor Rule every single day.
While NRP attracts the most attention, it is not the only problem. Many patients determined dead on neurological criteria (brain death) are not actually dead. Many patients determined dead on circulatory criteria (DCD) are not actually dead. In addition, clinicians perform invasive organ-optimizing interventions before death determination.
Because it undermines public trust, all this noncompliance is unsustainable. We have three options: (1) abandon the Dead Donor Rule, (2) amend transplantation practices to comply, or (3) expand standards for death determination.

FACULTY & DISCLOSURE

Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD, HEC-C
Law Professor & Bioethicist
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
St Paul, MN

Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD, HEC-C, faculty of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentations or discussions will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Rabbi Claudio J. Kogan, M.D., director of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentation or discussion will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Driselle Sullivan, Vincent Barnovsky, Tammy Fecci, Cecilia Sone, MSN, FNP-BC, Moderators of this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentation or discussion will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

*Ineligible companies – Companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Disclosure Policy and Disclaimer

ACCREDITATION
Baptist Health South Florida is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Baptist Health has been re-surveyed by the ACCME and awarded Commendation for 6 years as a provider of CME for physicians.

Baptist Health South Florida designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ each.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.   

This activity has been approved for 1 credit hours each, CE Broker Course #20-700581, by the Florida Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Board of Psychology and Physician Assistants.

This activity has also been approved for 1 credits each for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists and Techs, Social Workers and Respiratory Therapists.. Baptist Health South Florida CE Broker Provider #50-182.