Brain Death and Organ Procurement

Nursing management of adults with brain injury is crucial to the viability of donor organs.

Abstract

Overview 

Patients with severe brain injuries (as can result from trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or brain tumor) are monitored closely by nursing staff. It's often the nurse who first recognizes clinical signs of decompensation and begins the process of determining whether the patient is a potential organ donor. When a person is declared brain dead, it's the nurse who maintains hemodynamic stability so that donor organs remain viable. It's therefore crucial for nurses to know how brain death is determined in adults and how potential organ donors are identified, and to know the major physiologic changes that occur upon brain death, as well as essential nursing interventions.

In Brief

It's often the nurse who first recognizes clinical signs of decompensation and begins the process of determining whether a patient is a potential organ donor. It's there-fore crucial that nurses know the major physiologic changes that occur upon brain death.