The Irreversible Cannot be Reversed: Normothermic Regional Perfusion is Euthanasia

There are insufficient organs for patients requiring transplantation. Widespread adoption of determining death by neurological criteria, formalized in the Uniform Declaration of Death Act in 1981, created a new pipeline for organ procurement as intended, but brain death accounts for only 2% of deaths in the United States (1). Controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) can occur more frequently, but the required waiting period and resultant ischemic time between declaration of death and organ procurement renders organs less viable (2,3).
Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research