Background: When death occurs through a mechanism requiring a forensic investigation, consent for organ harvesting must be sought from the Judicial Authority (JA). Aim: To perform a retrospective study of potential organ donors in the Veneto region over a six-year period (2012–2017), analysing any differences between cases in which the JA approved or denied organ harvesting. Material and methods: Both non-heart beating (NHB) and heart beating (HB) donors were included. For HB cases, personal and clinical data were collected. To evaluate the correlation between the JA response and the circumstantial and clinical data a logistic multivariate analysis was performed, estimating the adjusted odds ratios (adjORs). Results: Between 2012 and 2017, 17,662 organ and/or tissue donors were included, of which 16,418 were NHB donors and 1,244 HB-donors. Among the 1,244 HB-donors, JA authorization was asked in 200 cases (16.1%), approved in 154 cases (77.0%), limited in 7 cases (3.5%) and denied in 39 cases (19.5%). The JA denied the authorization for organ harvesting in 53,3% of cases with hospitalizations of less than 1 day and in 9,4% of cases with hospitalization exceeding one week [adjOR(95%CI) = 10.67 (1.92–59.22)]. The performance of an autopsy was linked to a higher chance of denied outcome from the JA [adjOR(95%CI): 3.45 (1.42–8.39)]. Conclusions: Improvements in the communication between organ procurement organizations and the JA through efficient protocols furnishing detailed information on the cause of death might lead to a better procurement process with an increase in the number of transplanted organs.

Organ procurement requiring the authorization of the judicial authority. An epidemiological investigation in the Veneto region (Italy)

Domenico De Leo;Anna Pancheri;
2023-01-01

Abstract

Background: When death occurs through a mechanism requiring a forensic investigation, consent for organ harvesting must be sought from the Judicial Authority (JA). Aim: To perform a retrospective study of potential organ donors in the Veneto region over a six-year period (2012–2017), analysing any differences between cases in which the JA approved or denied organ harvesting. Material and methods: Both non-heart beating (NHB) and heart beating (HB) donors were included. For HB cases, personal and clinical data were collected. To evaluate the correlation between the JA response and the circumstantial and clinical data a logistic multivariate analysis was performed, estimating the adjusted odds ratios (adjORs). Results: Between 2012 and 2017, 17,662 organ and/or tissue donors were included, of which 16,418 were NHB donors and 1,244 HB-donors. Among the 1,244 HB-donors, JA authorization was asked in 200 cases (16.1%), approved in 154 cases (77.0%), limited in 7 cases (3.5%) and denied in 39 cases (19.5%). The JA denied the authorization for organ harvesting in 53,3% of cases with hospitalizations of less than 1 day and in 9,4% of cases with hospitalization exceeding one week [adjOR(95%CI) = 10.67 (1.92–59.22)]. The performance of an autopsy was linked to a higher chance of denied outcome from the JA [adjOR(95%CI): 3.45 (1.42–8.39)]. Conclusions: Improvements in the communication between organ procurement organizations and the JA through efficient protocols furnishing detailed information on the cause of death might lead to a better procurement process with an increase in the number of transplanted organs.
2023
Organ harvesting, Organ donors, Forensic autopsy, Judicial Authority
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
1-s2.0-S1344622323000287-main.pdf

Open Access dal 16/09/2024

Licenza: Accesso ristretto
Dimensione 552.12 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
552.12 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1105587
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 0
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact