Profile of cadaveric liver donors of the OPO-UNICAMP From 2002 to 2006

INTRODUCTION: Four decades after the first successful liver transplantation, the organ donation shortage challenges the scientific community to create various new strategies. OBJECTIVES: We sought to analyze the profile of registered cadaveric liver donors for an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) during the period of 2002 through 2006. METHODS: This retrospective analysis of 122 deceased donors in the OPO-Unicamp corresponded to the period of 2002 through 2006. RESULTS: Men were identified as 57.14% of donors and the overall average age was 32.88 years with 16.53% over 50 years of age. Analyzing the causes of brain death, cerebral trauma (CET) was responsible for 46.22% and cerebral vascular accidents, 33.61%. The percentage of use of vasoactive drugs was 88.43%. Observing the donors' backgrounds, we observed that 11.90% had alcoholism, 1.23% drug addiction and 27.78% infection. We verified cardiac arrest in 9.43%. In accordance with the expanded criteria of donation, 89.26% of donors fulfilled some of the criteria: 73.55%, one criterion; 14.05%, two; 1.65%, three; and no donor fulfilled 4 or 5. CONCLUSION: The donor profile in our unit is a young man with CET and who fulfills at least one expanded donation criterion. Finally, to increase the number of donors, the use of vasoactive drugs (89.26%), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (9.43%), and infection (27.78%) were not considered reasons to discard the liver.