Organ donation after circulatory death as compared with organ donation after brain death in Switzerland - an observational study.

Aims Of The Study: Organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) was reintroduced in Switzerland in 2011 and accounts for a third of deceased organ donors today. Controversy persists if DCD transplants are of similar quality to transplants following donation after brain death (DBD), mainly due to warm ischaemia time DCD organs are exposed to. We compared DCD with DBD in Switzerland.

Current status and further potential of lung donation after circulatory death.

Chronic organ shortage remains the most limiting factor in lung transplantation. To overcome this shortage, a minority of centers have started with efforts to reintroduce donation after circulatory death (DCD). This review aims to evaluate the experimental background, the current international clinical experience, and the further potential and challenges of the different DCD categories.

Is there an association between consent rates in Swiss hospitals and critical care staffs' attitudes towards organ donation, their knowledge and confidence in the donation process?

This study investigated the critical care staff's attitude, knowledge and involvement with donation, skills and confidence with donation-related tasks and their association with consent rates at the hospital level. In 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among critical care staff of hospitals involved in organ donation using an anonymous online questionnaire with a response rate of 56.4% (n = 2799).

Deceased organ donation activity and efficiency in Switzerland between 2008 and 2017: achievements and future challenges.

Background: Various actions have been taken during the last decade to increase the number of organs from deceased donors available for transplantation in Switzerland. This study provides an overview on key figures of the Swiss deceased organ donation and transplant activity between 2008 and 2017. In addition, it puts the evolution of the Swiss donation program's efficiency in relation to the situation in the neighboring countries.

Extended-criteria donors in lung transplantation in Switzerland: an evaluation of two adapted lung donor scores.

Aim: Various scoring systems aim to assess the quality of organs donated for transplantation on the basis of patient characteristics, clinical examination and laboratory results. How well such scoring systems reflect the practice in lung transplantation in Switzerland has never been studied. Therefore, we evaluated two scoring systems for their ability to predict whether or not donor lungs are accepted by the two Swiss lung transplant centres.

Evolution of Deceased Organ Donation Activity Versus Efficiency Over a 15-year Period: An International Comparison.

Background: The donation rate (DR) per million population is not ideal for an efficiency comparison of national deceased organ donation programs. The DR does not account for variabilities in the potential for deceased donation which mainly depends on fatalities from causes leading to brain death. In this study, the donation activity was put into relation to the mortality from selected causes.

Attitudes towards organ donation and relation to wish to donate posthumously.

Background: Organs donated for transplantation remain a scarce resource in Switzerland. One of the reasons for this situation is the high percentage of patients or families who refuse to consent to donation. This study aimed to provide an overview of attitudes towards organ donation among Swiss residents, including any intention to donate organs after death, and whether they had already declared their wish and/or communicated it to anyone.

International collaboration and organ exchange in Switzerland.

Background: Organ exchange among organ procurement organisations (OPOs) serves three main purposes: firstly, it reduces the loss of donor organs for which there is no suitable recipient on the waiting list of an OPO; secondly, it improves the odds of specific patient groups for receiving a matching donor organ; thirdly, it allows an optimised donor-recipient match, due to an expansion of the donor and recipient pool. However, only few published studies provide figures for the significance of international organ sharing. This study aims to assess the impact of organ imports on the Swiss transplant activity.

Heart allocation and transplantation in Switzerland since the introduction of the Swiss Organ Allocation System (SOAS).

Objective: To provide an overview of heart allocation and transplantation in Switzerland since the introduction of the Swiss Organ Allocation System (SOAS).

Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of SOAS data related to heart transplantation between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 30 2013.

Results: During the study period, 300 patients were newly waitlisted for a heart transplant in Switzerland, 199 were transplanted and 52 deceased while on the waiting list.

Swiss Monitoring of Potential Organ Donors (SwissPOD): a prospective 12-month cohort study of all adult ICU deaths in Switzerland.

Background: The Swiss Monitoring of Potential Organ Donors (SwissPOD) was initiated to investigate the causes of the overall low organ donation rate in Switzerland. The objective of our study was an assessment of the donation after brain death (DBD) process in Swiss adult intensive care units (ICUs), and to provide an overview of the donation efficiency as well as of the reasons for non-donation.

Methods: SwissPOD is a prospective cohort study of all deaths in Swiss ICUs and accident and emergency departments.

Organ donation in Switzerland--an analysis of factors associated with consent rate.

Background And Aim: Switzerland has a low post mortem organ donation rate. Here we examine variables that are associated with the consent of the deceased's next of kin (NOK) for organ donation, which is a prerequisite for donation in Switzerland.

Methods And Analysis: During one year, we registered information from NOK of all deceased patients in Swiss intensive care units, who were approached for consent to organ donation.

[What does the practicing doctor need to know about the transplantation law and its effects?].

The present article will give a related overview of the current background of the field of donor recruitment and transplantation medicine. The transplantation Law that came into effect on the 01.07.

Patient characteristics of deceased organ donors in Switzerland 1998-2008.

Background: Transplantation today faces two major issues: organ shortage, and the increasing age of deceased donors. The former leads to growing waiting lists and, as a consequence, to a higher mortality of patients in need of an organ. The latter results in an augmentation of the proportion of organs from so called extended criteria donors, which, in the past, have been associated with inferior outcomes.

Assessing the potential of international organ exchange--the Swiss experience.

Objective: Little is known about the impact of international organ exchange on national transplant programmes. This study evaluates the relevance of hearts and lungs offered by the European Organ Exchange Organisations to Swisstransplant, Switzerland's national organ procurement organisation.

Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of donor characteristics of 290 hearts and 199 lungs, offered by the European Organ Exchange Organisations between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008 to Swisstransplant.

Quality of life after acute type B dissection in the era of thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Background: Conservative management of acute type B aortic dissection is currently being challenged by primary thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Aim was to assess outcome and quality of life after these different approaches using an adjusted standard population as benchmark.

Patients And Methods: Observational study of a prospectively collected (January 2000 to December 2005) consecutive series of 87 patients with acute type B aortic dissection.

Organ transplantation in Switzerland: impact of the new transplant law on cold ischaemia time and organ transports.

Background: On 1 July 2007 a new transplant law came into force in Switzerland. The principal item of this new law is the change from centre-oriented allocation to patient-oriented national allocation of organs. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact on cold ischaemia time (CIT) and transport requirements.

The role of the sinuses of Valsalva in aortic root flow dynamics and aortic root surgery: evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Combined replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta using a composite graft represents the standard treatment for dilated aortic root with concomitant structural damage of the aortic valve, especially when the aortic valve cannot be preserved. Unfortunately, hemodynamic changes associated with prosthetic replacement of the aortic root have not been fully elucidated. The study aim was to compare hemodynamics within the replaced aortic root using either a prosthetic vascular graft with bulges mimicking the sinuses of Valsalva and including a stented pericardial valve, or a straight xenopericardial conduit and a stentless porcine valve.

Does aortic crossclamping during the cooling phase affect the early clinical outcome of acute type A aortic dissection?

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of crossclamping the ascending aorta in acute type A aortic dissection during the cooling phase for deep hypothermic arrest on early clinical outcome.

Methods: The records of 275 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for acute type A aortic dissection were reviewed. Ten patients have been excluded.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair: impact of urgency on outcome and quality of life.

Objectives: Endovascular repair of the descending thoracic aorta is a very promising technique in elective and, particularly, emergency situations. This study assessed the impact of urgency of the procedure on outcome and mid-term quality of life in surviving patients.

Methods: Post hoc analysis of prospectively collected data of 58 consecutive patients (January 2001-December 2005) with surgical pathologies of the descending thoracic aorta treated by endovascular means.

Technical advances improved outcome in patients undergoing surgery of the ascending aorta and/or aortic arch: ten years experience.

Background: Several technical advances in thoracic aortic surgery, such as the use of antegrade cerebral perfusion, avoidance of cross-clamping and the application of glue, have beneficially influenced postoperative outcome. The aim of the present study was to analyse the impact of these developments on outcome of patients undergoing surgery of the thoracic aorta.

Methods And Results: Between January 1996 and December 2005, 835 patients (37.

Arterial access through the right subclavian artery in surgery of the aortic arch improves neurologic outcome and mid-term quality of life.

Background: We have shown that selective antegrade cerebral perfusion improves mid-term quality of life in patients undergoing surgical repair for acute type A aortic dissection and aortic aneurysms. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of continuous cerebral perfusion through the right subclavian artery on immediate outcome and quality of life.

Methods: Perioperative data of 567 consecutive patients who underwent surgery of the aortic arch using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest have been analyzed.

Outcome and quality of life after surgical and endovascular treatment of descending aortic lesions.

Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) represents an attractive alternative to open aortic repair (OAR). The aim of this study was to assess outcome and quality of life in patients treated either by TEVAR or OAR for diseased descending thoracic aorta.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of a prospectively collected consecutive series of 136 patients presenting with surgical diseases of the descending aorta between January 2001 and December 2005 was conducted.

Outcome and quality of life in patients treated for abdominal aortic aneurysms: a single center experience.

Background: Durability of protection and long-term quality of life (QoL) are critical outcome parameters of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The aim of the present study was to compare results of endovascular and open aneurysm repair (EVAR and OR) with adjusted standard populations, including stratification for urgency of presentation.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of 401 consecutive patients presenting with AAA between January 1998 and December 2002.