Ethics of organ procurement from the unrepresented patient population.

The shortage of organs for transplantation by its nature prompts ethical dilemmas. For example, although there is an imperative to save human life and reduce suffering by maximising the supply of vital organs, there is an equally important obligation to ensure that the process by which we increase the supply respects the rights of all stakeholders. In a relatively unexamined practice in the USA, organs are procured from unrepresented decedents without their express consent. Unrepresented decedents have no known healthcare wishes or advance care planning document; they also lack a surrogate. The Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (RUAGA) of 2006 sends a mixed message about the procurement of organs from this patient population and there are hospitals that authorise donation. In addition, in adopting the RUAGA, some states included provisions that clearly allow organ procurement from unrepresented decedents. An important unanswered question is whether this practice meets the canons of ethical permissibility. The current Brief Report presents two principled approaches to the topic as a way of highlighting some of the complexities involved. Concluding remarks offer suggestions for future research and discussion.

Monitoring the conjunctiva for carbon dioxide and oxygen tensions and pH during cardiopulmonary bypass.

The purpose of this study was to measure, for the first time, multiple physiologic parameters of perfusion (pH, PCO2, PO2, and temperature) from the conjunctiva of adult patients during cardiopulmonary bypass while undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. Ten patients who underwent either intracardiac valve repair, atrial septal defect repair, or coronary artery bypass graft surgery had placement of a sensor which directly measured pH, PCO2, PO2, and temperature from the conjunctiva. Data were stratified into seven phases (0-5 minutes prior to bypass; 0-5, 6-10, and 11-15 minutes after initiation of bypass; 0-5 minutes prior to conclusion of bypass; and 0-5 and 6-10 minutes after bypass) and analyzed using a mixed model analysis.The change in conjunctival pH over the course of measurement was not statistically significant (p = .56). The PCO2 level followed a quadratic pattern, decreasing from a mean pre-bypass level of 37.7 mmHg at baseline prior to the initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass to a nadir of 33.2 mmHg, then increasing to a high of 39.4 mmHg at 6-10 minutes post bypass (p < .01). The PO2 declined from a mean pre-bypass level of 79.5 mmHg to 31.3 mmHg by 6-10 minutes post bypass and even post-bypass, it never returned to baseline values (p < .01). Temperature followed a pattern similar to PCO2 by returning to baseline levels as the patient was re-warmed following bypass (p < .01). There was no evidence of any eye injury or inflammation following the removal of the sensor. In the subjects studied, the conjunctival sensor yielded reproducible measurements during the various phases of cardiopulmonary bypass without ocular injury. Further study is necessary to determine the role of conjunctival measurements in critical settings.

Changing outcomes for children requiring intensive care following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Past literature has shown that respiratory failure following hematopoietic stem cell transplant is associated with a universally poor outcome with mortality rates approaching 100%. More recent studies have suggested that patient survival is improving. We report our experience with the patients from our institution, a large children's hospital, who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Medical records of 183 patients, who received a bone marrow transplant between 1992 and early 2004, who were <20 yr of age, were retrospectively reviewed. Various factors that might influence mortality were examined. Over the course of the study, the ICU survival increased from 18% during the period 1992-1999 to 59% between 2000 and early 2004. In the latter period, 54% of the patients discharged from the ICU were alive at 100 days post-transplant. Factors that were significant predictors of poor outcome were malignancy as the reason for transplant, dialysis during the ICU stay, or extreme respiratory failure with a ratio of arterial oxygen tension (PaO2)/inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2) <300. Analysis of patients who required a high positive end-expiratory pressure or were ventilated with permissive hypercapnia showed that they also had a higher mortality. The impact on survival of factors such as age at time of transplant, graft-vs.-host disease, pneumonia, bacteremia, sepsis, post-transplant days, Pediatric Risk of Mortality III score, engraftment status, or veno-occlusive disease did not reach statistical significance in this cohort. Survival has improved for children who require intensive care following a bone marrow transplant, even for those who require mechanical ventilation. Patients with extreme respiratory failure and those requiring dialysis continue to have poor outcome. Because of an overall improvement in survival, children whose condition following transplant requires intensive care should be treated aggressively.