The effect of pre-transplant and transplant care on organ quality: a cross-sectional study

Objective To determine the effect of management before and during transplantation on the quality of donated organs. Improvement of preservation methods in cases involving brain death will lead to more effective organ procurement. Methods Data were collected from the 226 brain death cases enrolled in the 12-month study period. All cases, patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3 points, appropriate age, and having medical indications for organ donation, were considered to confirm the criteria of brain death. Transplant outcome data were obtained from the transplant centers. Results The age of the deceased ranged between 1 year and 68 years, with a mean ± SD of 39.54 ± 17.28 years. There was no significant difference between the quality of organs regarding blood group and cause of brain death ( P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the quality of organs regarding age, body mass index (BMI), and gender. There was a significant difference between the level of urea at admission time and procurement time ( P < 0.001), as well as between creatinine level at admission time and procurement time ( P < 0.001). There was also a significant difference between aspartate aminotransferase (AST) at admission time and procurement time ( P < 0.001), and between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at admission time and procurement time ( P < 0.001). Conclusions Transplant outcomes using older donor livers and kidneys were comparable to those using younger or male donors. These findings provide further evidence that decision-making about organ quality is influenced by age and gender and emphasize the importance of transparency in organ acceptance practices.