Brain Death and Organ Donation Rates in a City Hospital: A Retrospective Study

Introduction Although organ donation rates have been increasing over the years, the lack of organ donation remains the most important problem in transplantation. By changing strategies, the Cekirge City Hospital in Bursa/Osmangazi has achieved a cadaveric donor rate of 24.9 per one million individuals in 2016; this rate is 21.5 in England, 20.9 in Norway, 14.7 in the Netherlands, and 10.6 in Germany. Methods Brain death cases were retrospectively evaluated between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016. Results There were a total of 137 brain death cases. Three of eight cases, five of 12 cases, three of 13 cases, 13 of 25 cases, 16 of 29 cases, and 21 of 50 cases became a donor in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Conclusion Deceased organ donation rates have increased over the years; however, the number of brain dead patients and the acceptance of organ donation by families have been increasing, but the percentage of brain death donations did not increase. We suggest that the reason for this situation is that well-trained and educated physicians diagnose more brain death cases and have a greater desire to treat end-stage organ failure patients, but the tendency of the public to donate has not increased as hoped. Donation and transplantation rates may be increased with a combination of well-trained, educated, and dedicated physicians with public education.