Elective intensive care unit admissions for organ donation in patients with terminal brain glioma: Case report

Abstract

Despite being eligible, only 26 patients with primary brain cancer became organ donors from 2009 to 2018 in Australia. We describe two patients with high grade gliomas who successfully donated their organs after obtaining first-person consent in the outpatient setting by careful multidisciplinary planning and an elective intensive care unit admission for organ donation. Barriers and facilitators were examined based on these experiences and suggestions for future practices are explored. The recommended practices include: 1. Systematic incorporation of organ donation into advance care planning. 2. Integrating organ donation organisation coordinators into advance care planning. 3. Standardization of donor care and clear communication and collaboration between treatment teams. 4. Support and involvement of the medical treatment decision maker. 5. Identification of clinical triggers for admission to hospital and intensive care unit. These two cases illustrate that with careful coordination and involvement from a multidisciplinary team, successful organ transplantation outcomes are possible.