Brain Death - Irreversible cessation of cerebral and brain stem function;
characterized by absence of electrical activity in the brain, blood flow
to the brain, and brain function as determined by clinical assessment
of responses. A brain dead person is dead, although his or her
cardiopulmonary functioning may be artificially maintained for some
time.
Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD) - Recovery of organs and or tissues from a donor whose heart has
irreversibly stopped beating, previously referred to as
non-heart-beating or asystolic donation.
Eligible Death - Although it is recognized that this definition does not
include all potential donors, for reporting purposes for DSA performance
assessment, an eligible death for organ donation is defined as the
death of a patient 70 years old or younger who ultimately is legally
declared brain dead according to hospital policy, and: independent of
family decision regarding donation or availability of next-of-kin;
independent of medical examiner or coroner involvement in the case;
independent of local acceptance criteria or transplant center practice;
and who exhibits none of the following :
Expanded Criteria Donor (ECD) Kidney - A brain dead donor
over the age of 60 years; or from a donor over the age of 50 years with
two of the following: a history of hypertension, the most recent serum
creatinine greater than or equal to 1.5 mg/dl, or death resulting from a
cerebral vascular accident (stroke). This definition applies to the
allocation of deceased donor kidneys.
Wait List (WL) - The list of candidates registered to receive organ
transplants. When a donor organ becomes available, the matching system
generates a new, more specific list of potential recipients based on the
criteria defined in that organ's allocation policy (e.g., organ type,
geographic local and regional area, genetic compatibility measures,
details about the condition of the organ, the candidate's disease
severity, time spent waiting, etc.).
Wait List Registration To be registered for a transplant, a patient undergoes a complete clinical evaluation by the transplant team. If a transplant is needed, the center registers that patient on the Wait List. Within ten days of evaluating a patient for transplant, the transplant center is required to send a letter informing the patient that he or she has or has not been registered on the Wait List. The following registration status categories are used to track waiting patients:
Waiting Time - The amount of time a candidate is on the Wait List. Waiting times can be influenced by many factors, including:
* This glossary was adapted from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN). For a more complete list of donation-related terminology please refer to the following link: http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources/glossary.asp *Disclaimer: Following this link will navigate you away from the Greatest Gift, Inc. web page. |
Stats, Myths & Facts >