Is presumed consent an ethically acceptable way of obtaining organs for transplant?
Journal Title: Journal of the Intensive Care Society - Year 2019, Vol 20, Issue 2
Abstract
The near-universal acceptance of cadaveric organ donation has been based on the provision of explicit consent by the donor while alive, either in the form of a formal opt-in or informal discussion of wishes with next of kin. Despite the success of transplantation programmes based on explicit consent, the ongoing imbalance between demand and supply of organs for transplantation has prompted calls for more widespread introduction of laws validating presumed consent with facility for opt-out as a means of increasing organ availability. The Department of Health (UK) has recently concluded a consultation on the introduction of such a law for England. This article explores the debate on presumed consent from an ethical point of view and summarises the key arguments on both sides of the ethical divide.
Authors and Affiliations
Pradeep Kumar Prabhu
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP679547
- DOI 10.1177/1751143718777171
- Views 57
- Downloads 0
Bullous lung disease mimicking pneumothorax in focused thoracic ultrasound
Balanced crystalloid versus saline in critically ill adults
COR: conditional odds ratio; ER: event rate; MAKE-30: Major Adverse Kidney Event at 30 days; MOR: marginal odds ratio; NNT: number needed to treat in order to avoid one MAKE-30 outcome; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval.
The incidence of cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The incidence of cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit (ICU-CA) has not been widely reported. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the incidence of cardiac arrest in adult, general...
Minimum standards of clinical practice for physiotherapists working in critical care settings in the United Kingdom: A modified Delphi technique
Across the United Kingdom, physiotherapy for critical care patients is provided 24 h a day, 7 days per week. There is a national drive to standardise the knowledge and skills of physiotherapists which will suppor...
Incidence of general surgical procedures in adult patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use may predispose patients to developing conditions that require either consultation with a general surgeon or a general surgical procedure. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and out...