The anesthesiologist's role in multiple organ procurement. A review

With the increasing demand for organs for transplantation, the utilization of heart beating brain-dead cadavers as donors, and the recovery of multiple organs from a single donor, anesthesiologists are increasingly being asked to not only participate in multiple organ recoveries but also to be actively involved in maintaining donors in optimal condition during the procurement procedure. This article reviews the major physiologic derangements experienced by organ donors and describes techniques to optimize donor management both preoperatively and intraoperatively. The important technical aspects of the multiple organ procurement procedures are reviewed as they relate to the anesthetic management of the donor and the key role played by the anesthesiologist in obtaining organs of optimal quality emphasized.