A Program of Research to Evaluate the Impact of Deceased Organ Donation Legislative Reform in Nova Scotia: The LEADDR Program.

BACKGROUND: This is the first time deemed consent, where the entire population of a jurisdiction is considered to have consented for donation unless they have registered otherwise, will be implemented in North America. While relatively common in other regions of the world-notably Western Europe-it is uncertain how this practice will influence deceased donation practices and attitudes in Canada. METHODS: We describe a Health Canada funded program of research that will evaluate the implementation process and full impact of the deceased organ donation legislation and the health system transformation in Nova Scotia that includes opt-out consent. RESULTS: There is a need to evaluate the impact of these changes to inform not only Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, but also other provincial, national, and international stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: We establish a rigorous academic framework that we will use to evaluate this significant health system transformation.

Factors associated with organ donation by trauma patients in Nova Scotia.

BACKGROUND: Trauma patients represent a significant pool of potential organ donors (PODs), and previous research suggests that this population is underutilized for organ donation (OD). Our objective was to assess factors associated with OD in the trauma population. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed OD in Nova Scotia over a 7-year period (2009-2016) using data from the Nova Scotia Trauma Registry and Nova Scotia Legacy of Life Donor Registry. All trauma patients who died in the hospital were included. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with donation. We also evaluated characteristics, donation types, and reasons for nondonation among trauma PODs. RESULTS: There were 689 trauma-related deaths in all hospitals in NS during the study period, of which 39.8% (274 of 689) met the Nova Scotia Trauma Registry definition of a POD. Data on OD were available for 108 of these patients who were referred to the Legacy of Life Program. The conversion rate was 84%. Compared with nondonors, organ donors were significantly younger, had a higher Abbreviated Injury Scale head score and a lower scene Glasgow Coma Scale score, were more likely to suffer ischemia from drowning or asphyxia and to require air transport, and were less likely to have comorbidities. Regression analysis showed that donation was associated with younger age (odds ratio [OR], 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-0.99) and lower Glasgow Coma Scale score at the scene (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88). Odds of donation were increased with air transport compared with land ambulance (OR, 8.27; 95% CI, 2.07-33.08) and injury within Halifax Regional Municipality compared with injury outside Halifax Regional Municipality (OR, 4.64; 95% CI, 1.42-15.10). Among the 60 referred PODs who did not donate, family refusal of consent was the most common reason (28 [46.7%] of 60). CONCLUSION: Younger age, greater severity of injury, and shorter time to tertiary care were associated with OD in trauma patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiological, Level III.

Organ donation by patients with and without trauma in a Canadian province: a retrospective cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: People who experience trauma represent a large pool of potential organ donors. Our objective was to describe organ donation by patients with and without trauma in Nova Scotia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients with trauma in the Nova Scotia Trauma Registry who were injured between Apr. 1, 2009, and Mar. 31, 2016, and died in hospital, as well as all potential organ donors captured in the Nova Scotia Legacy of Life Donor Registry over the same period. We compared characteristics of the 2 groups with respect to organ donation and identified reasons for nondonation. RESULTS: Overall, 940 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 689 (73.3%) had experienced trauma. Patients with trauma accounted for 37.2% (48/129) of donors. A total of 274 (39.8%) of the patients with trauma were identified as potential organ donors, and 48 (7.0%) donated organs. Only 108 (39.4%) of the 274 were referred to the Legacy of Life Program. The conversion rate (proportion of potential donors who went on to donate an organ) was 84.2% (48/57) among patients with trauma and 83.5% (81/97) among those without trauma. Donation after circulatory death occurred in 8 patients (17%) with trauma and 13 (16%) of those without trauma. Family refusal (28/60 [47%]) and medical unsuitability (16/60 [27%]) were the most common reasons for nondonation among patients with trauma. INTERPRETATION: In Nova Scotia, 40% of patients with trauma who died in hospital were potential organ donors, yet only 39% of these patients were referred for donation. More work is required to improve organ donation within the trauma population.