Retrospective analysis of the patients with brain death diagnosis in the last 5 years in our hospital

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the organ donation rate, the causes of brain death and the blood gas parameters before and after apnea test by assessing the records of the patients with brain death diagnosis in the last 5 years in our hospital. Method: The records of 44 patients who were diagnosed as brain death between 01.01.2014-15.05.2019 at Cumhuriyet University Research and Application Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Blood gas parameters before and after apnea test, demographic characteristics, educational status, duration of diagnosing brain death, distribution of the patients according to their services, organ donation rate, the causes of brain death were evaluated. Results: When the patients diagnosed with brain death in Cumhuriyet University Hospital between January 2014 and May 2019, 44 patients were found. Of these patients, 23 were female (52.3%) and 21 were male (47.7%). When the patients who were diagnosed with brain death were examined; 26 patients (59.1%) were found to be in the neurosurgery intensive care unit and 13 patients (29.5%) in anesthesia intensive care unit. When the causes leading to brain death are examined; The most common cause was subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 18 patients (40.9%). Of the 44 patients diagnosed with brain death, 9 (20.5%) were donors and 35 (79.5%) were not donors. Conclusions: This retrospective evaluation of 44 patients diagnosed with brain death within 5 years in the intensive care units of our hospital revealed that organ donation rates were below the national average. We think that not delaying in donor determination, not to be lack of donor care, training of health workers in brain death and organ donation will increase the awareness on organ donation and organ donation rates will increase in our hospital.