Transplants

Question 1

Death in the Emergency Department

☆ Determine if pt could be candidate for non-heart beating donation
> Tissues & organs (e.g., corneas, heart valves, skin, bone, kidneys) can be harvested from pts >death

Answer 1

☆ Living Organ Donors/Transplantation
> For the donor
> Maintain hydration & perfusion
> Use the “rules of 100’s” PUSH

PaO2 @ 100
U/o @ 100 mL/hr
Systolic BP @ 100
HR @ 100 beats/min/Hgb >100

Also, BS > 100

Question 2

Transplants - Nurse’s Role

• Watch for common problems
  → shock, hypotension, DIC, loss of thermoregulation & electrolyte imbalances

Answer 2

• Ideal donor is one whose fatal inj resulted in brain death but was otherwise healthy & infection free

Question 3

Organ retrieval occurs in OR only when
- Potential donor is ID’d
- Notifying organ bank
- Diagnosing brain death
- Obtaining family consent
- Managing the donor until organ removal is complete

Question 4

Nursing Role

Recipient: Pre-op
* Obtain blood samples
* Pre-op rx’s
* Pre-op interventions
> shaving, cleaning

Answer 4

Recipient: Post-op
* Extensive collaboration w/a team
* Recognize life-threatening clinical problems
* Prevent complications
* Promote return to normal activities