Prog Transplant
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Current knowledge regarding the barriers to organ donation relies on 3 data sources: potential donor families, hospital staff, and members of the general public. The current study complements these findings by interviewing organ procurement coordinators about their experiences during the familial consent process. ⋯ These results supplement existing reports of barriers to donation and are discussed in terms of shaping future public education efforts and request processes to improve conversion rates.
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Airway pressure release ventilation is most commonly used during donor care to treat hypoxemia and to avoid high peak airway pressure. The traditional concept of cyclic inhalation/exhalation is replaced by a continuous positive airway inflation interspersed by brief episodes in which the positive pressure is reduced. The variables, Pressure-high, Pressure-low, Time-high, and Time-low, are manipulated to ensure adequate donor oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal. Organ procurement coordinators may find this method of mechanical ventilation in place when donor care is assumed or initiate it as a useful tool in providing donor support.