“Epidemiology of paediatric intensive care unit admissions, deaths and organ donation candidacy: A single-centre audit”: Correspondence
Cardiac transplantation is an option for children with end-stage heart failure, but around the world there has been an issue with inadequate organ availability. Effective donor management is crucial to the successful recovery of organs for cardiac transplantation. The recent paper by Low et al.1 de...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academy of Medicine Singapore
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore |
| Online Access: | https://annals.edu.sg/epidemiology-of-paediatric-intensive-care-unit-admissions-deaths-and-organ-donation-candidacy-a-single-centre-audit-correspondence/ |
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| Summary: | Cardiac transplantation is an option for children with end-stage heart failure, but around the world there has been an issue with inadequate organ availability. Effective donor management is crucial to the successful recovery of organs for cardiac transplantation. The recent paper by Low et al.1 demonstrates that while there are potential donors (who may be identified during admission to the intensive care unit), there remains a gap between the number of potential donors and the actual number of organs donated. The authors, and indeed also the authors of the corresponding editorial,2 call for an independent group of medical professionals to support end-of-life decision-making for children with terminal disease. We agree with this recommendation. Here, we articulate the practical ethics underpinning donor stewardship and consider how families with a child close to death may be better supported in the grieving process while given the opportunity to consider donating their child’s organs (specifically the heart) to save another child’s life. |
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| ISSN: | 2972-4066 |