Consent for donation after cardiac death: a survey of organ procurement organizations.

CONTEXT: Despite the increasing number of policies governing organ donation after cardiac death (DCD), nothing is presently known about the informed consent process for DCD. Without guidelines, organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are likely to structure the consent process similarly to that for organ donation after brain death (DBD), despite important ethical differences between the 2 modes of organ recovery. OBJECTIVE: To describe informed consent practices used by OPOs for DCD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional, internet-based survey of the 58 OPOs in the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OPO policies and reported levels of physician participation in the consent process for DCD. RESULTS: Seventeen OPOs completed the survey (29%). Responders and nonresponders did not differ by DCD volume over the last year or last 5 years. None of the OPO's policies require physician involvement in obtaining written informed consent; 94% of policies require only the OPO representative to obtain written consent for DCD and 6% state that either the OPO representative or the treating physician may obtain consent; 71% of OPOs reported that discussions with family regarding DCD occur with the treating physician present less than 51% of the time and 82% indicated that the OPO representative is solely involved in obtaining consent for DCD in the majority of cases. A total of 24% of OPOs require physicians to participate in obtaining consent for procedures performed prior to death exclusively for organ preservation. No differences were found between the OPO consent practices for DCD and DBD. CONCLUSIONS: None of the OPOs responding to this survey have a policy requirement for physician involvement in obtaining consent for DCD. These findings raise questions about the role of physicians in DCD and how best to maintain a patient- and family-centered focus on care for patients at the end of life while supporting organ recovery efforts.

Massive pulmonary embolism in children.

We present 3 children with massive pulmonary embolism and review 17 recent pediatric reports. Malignancies were a frequent cause (40%), and sudden death was common (60%). Compared with adults, diagnosis was more likely to be made at autopsy (P < .0001), more children were treated with embolectomy/thrombectomy (P = .0006), and mortality was greater (P = .03).

Complementary medicine use among women enrolled in a genetic testing program.

The purpose of this study is to explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and factors influencing CAM use by women enrolled in a genetic testing program for predisposition to breast/ovarian cancer. A cohort of 236 high-risk women completed baseline questionnaires at enrollment into BRCA1/2 testing program. CAM use and correlates of use were assessed using logistic regression models. CAM was used by 53% of the overall cohort. Cancer survivors reported significantly more use of complementary treatments than did unaffected women (61 versus 42%; P < 0.05). Participants had good overall health behaviors; daily fruit/vegetable consumption was significantly related to CAM use. Increased depression level, knowledge of cancer genetics, and frequency of breast self-examination were significantly associated with using CAM for cancer survivors. Among unaffected women only, cancer risk perception and sunscreen use were significantly correlated with CAM use. Recognition of heightened breast cancer risk is correlated with increased complementary therapy use by unaffected women undergoing genetic testing for cancer predisposition but not to the extent that cancer survivors use these strategies. Any potential effects of the genetic information itself on CAM use, and any possible relationship of CAM use to other risk reduction behaviors, require further research.