• Ann Kristin Reinhold, Markus Kredel, Christian K Markus, and Peter Kranke.
• Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
• BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Sep 30; 12 (9).

AbstractA 28-year-old woman suffered a traffic accident resulting in severe head injuries with deleterious prognosis. Diagnostics further revealed a hitherto unknown pregnancy, at suspected week 9. Based on the patient's wish to donate organs, brain death protocol confirmed irreversible loss of brain function. Yet, vital pregnancy rendered organ transplantation impossible. Multiple ethical and legal issues arose, from invalidation of established legal care after brain death to the delivery of a healthy child after trauma and long-term critical care. After medicolegal and ethical counselling, pregnancy was sustained, and the goal of organ donation postponed. Critical care focused on foetal homeostasis. At 30+4 weeks, a viable girl was born via assisted vaginal delivery. Postpartal organ donation resulted in heart, kidney and pancreas transplantation. The case emphasises the medical, legal and ethical challenges to combine two apparently diametrical goals: the successful full-term pregnancy and the fulfilment of a patient's wish to donate organs.© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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