Caring for a potential organ donor at an intensive care unit: the role of the nurse/ Opieka nad potencjalnym dawcą narządów w oddziale intensywnej terapii - rola pielęgniarki

Journal Title: Medical Science Pulse - Year 2017, Vol 11, Issue 2

Abstract

Brain death causes irreparable loss of function of the brain as whole and is tantamount to the individual death. According to the governing laws in Poland, a committee composed of three consultants, including a specialist in anaesthesiology and intensive care and a specialist in neurosurgery or neurology, states the individual death. Stating brain death has occurred discharges doctors from their obligation to continue therapy. In the event the organs can be harvested for transplant, after ruling out the objection of the deceased and medical counter indications, medical staff continues to care for the donor during the period of preliminary observation, diagnostics and establishing brain death, and later for the deceased, until the organs are harvested. It includes all activities, from monitoring to therapy, diagnostic and nursing activities. Nurses play an important role in the team providing care to a donor. The nurse should have extensive knowledge about brain death, its course and results, as they play an important role in proper diagnostic procedure and providing proper care until the organs are harvested. Strict nursing supervision of the donor allows the staff to detect deviations in the functioning of the organism early. The aim of this paper was to present the procedures concerning declaring brain death and portraying the role of a nurse in caring for a potential organ donor at an intensive care unit. Conclusions. Proper procedure is paramount in harvesting good quality organs for transplantation and assuring their proper functioning later. It is worthwhile to note the role of the nurse in contacts with the family, as cooperation with the donor’s family is an important aspect of the process, especially the ability to conduct difficult conversations.

Authors and Affiliations

Sylwia Kosek, Anna Klimczyk

Keywords

Related Articles

Historia cięcia cesarskiego

W artykule przedstawiono historię cięcia cesarskiego od czasów starożytncyh do XXI w. Zwrócono uwagę na ewolucję technik operacyjnych i postepowania okołoporodowego na przestrzeni dziejów, co spowodowało obniżenie śmiert...

The role of The University Center for Social Development in the regional innovation ecosystem of social assistance.

The stable innovation system generation is one of the Russian economic policy priorities. Universities have the role of a central hub in the regional innovation systems formation. This article presents a study of factors...

Integrated health care services as a current challenge for primary health care: reflections from Crete, Greece

This paper addresses the issue of integrated care services as a current challenge for primary health care in Europe. It is focused on an operational definition of integrated care and documents its relevance to the recent...

Zatrucia barbituranami

Wstęp: Barbiturany to grupa leków o działaniu nasennym. Zatrucia nimi mogą być zarówno przewlekłe, jak i ostre. W zależności od dawki i przyjętego preparatu pierwsze objawy mogą wystąpić już po kilku minutach. Dlatego ba...

A delivery in breech presentation – a physiology or pathology? Historical deliberations

The breech presentation of the foetus is noted in approximately 3 percentages of all deliveries and the way they are assessed constitutes an important issue in contemporary obstetrics. In order to recognize the breech po...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP190438
  • DOI 10.5604/01.3001.0010.1619
  • Views 119
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Sylwia Kosek, Anna Klimczyk (2017). Caring for a potential organ donor at an intensive care unit: the role of the nurse/ Opieka nad potencjalnym dawcą narządów w oddziale intensywnej terapii - rola pielęgniarki. Medical Science Pulse, 11(2), 35-39. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-190438