Abstract

Background: Analysis of the Donor Action Program carried out in the years
2003-2008 in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Department of Medical University in Gdańsk and its influence on the increase of organ retrieval.
Material/Methods: Analysis was based on questionnaires among medical personnel and on the survey of 189 deaths of the patients up to 70th year of age.
Results: 31 doctors and 26 nurses filled the four time carried out questionnaires concerning attitudes to organ transplantation. In the point-range 0-3 it was stated: little engagement in the donation process (1.12), mediocre support of organ donation (2.28), low self-esteem of one's own skills (0.47), satisfaction of the transplant coordinator work (2.27) In the deaths analysis there were 84 patient's cases that demonstrated brain death symptoms without direct medical contraindications to organ retrieval. 65 potential donors was submitted, in 42 cases (65%) organ donation eventually happened. On the average, 7 organ donations took place during the year. The brain-death patients' referral's effectiveness in 2008 was 100%.
Conclusions: During the years of the Donor Action Program in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Department of Medical University in Gdańsk there was observed an increase of organ harvesting up to 42 (58%) compared to 30 (42%) in previous years 1997-2002 before the Program was started. Since 1980 over 230 potential and real organ donors was referred by this Department. During the last couple of years this hospital is among the 10 hospitals in Poland where the greatest amount of organ donations is performed annually.

Keywords: Deceased Donor