Development of a program for kidney transplants using organs donated from donors awaiting cardiac arrest (type III Maastricht).

Introduction: The availability of organ donors is a limiting factor for kidney transplants. Donations from non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) can provide as many as one-third of all organs. Controlled patients awaiting cardiac arrest following limitation of life support techniques, or type III Maastricht donors, constitute an alternative that still has yet to be systematically developed.