Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation at End of Life: Defining Death.

Abstract

End-of-life vital organ transplantation involves singular ethical issues, because survival of the donor is impossible, and organ retrieval is ideally as close to the death of the donor as possible to minimize organ ischemic time. Historical efforts to define death have been met with confusion and discord. Fifty years on, the Harvard criteria for brain death continue to be problematic and now face significant legislative efforts to limit their authority.

• Authors: Wendy Suhre, Gail A Van Norman
• Journal: Anesthesiology clinics (Anesthesiol Clin) Vol. 38 Issue 1 Pg. 231-246 (Mar 2020) ISSN: 1932-2275 [Print] United States
• PMID: 32008655 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Brain Death (legislation & jurisprudence)
• Death
• Humans
• Organ Transplantation (ethics)
• Tissue Donors
• Tissue and Organ Harvesting (ethics)