In pediatrics, an increasing need for transplantable organs exists. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of pediatric deceased donors in the United States. This retrospective observational study utilized data from the Organ Procurement and
Transplantation Network (OPTN) from 2000 to 2015. Patients were stratified based on method of organ donation. Demographic variables and mechanism of death were then compared. A total of 14,481 deceased pediatric organ donors, donation after
brain death (DBD) and donation after circulatory death (
DCD), were included in the study, of which 8% were
DCD donors. A significant difference (p<0.001) existed between the two donor groups with respect to ethnicity and mechanism of death. The annual trend of
DCD and DBD donors showed an inverse relationship. During the 15-year study period the number of DBD donors decreased from 985 to 785 per year while
DCD donors increased from 15 to 146 per year. As well, overall organs transplanted per year decreased from 3,475 to 3,117 over the 15-year study period. Significant differences exist between pediatric DBD donors and
DCD donors, specifically with respect to ethnicity and mechanism of death. The number of pediatric DBD donors is decreasing while the number of pediatric
DCD is slowly rising, making it increasingly important to be able to characterize these donors to better identify eligible
DCD donors to optimize organ utilization.