A pilot program to evaluate deceased donor disease transmission risk: the New York Organ Donor Network Infectious Disease Working Group.

Background: Recent cases of donor-derived infections raise the question of how best to screen donors without excessive restriction of the donor pool.

Methods: The New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN) established an Infectious Diseases Working Group (IDWG) in 2008, which established an on-call schedule of voluntary transplant infectious disease physicians to provide remote evaluations for donors at increased risk for disease transmission.

Results: Data were reviewed from 40 available IDWG evaluations from 2008 to 2011. Eighteen cases (45%) were considered to be at unacceptable risk for infection transmission. Sixteen of these cases were excluded from donation secondary to IDWG recommendation; there was limited recipient center interest in the remaining two cases. Approximately 22 (55%) cases were categorized by the IDWG as acceptable, with 14 proceeding to recovery of 49 organs. IDWG physician recommendations were conveyed to recipient centers, and screening guidelines for donors were revised based on the IDWG experiences.

Conclusion: Establishment of a donation service area disease transmission evaluation service is a valuable program for donor screening and may promote dissemination of more detailed donor information to recipient centers.