Organ/tissue donation question

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Okay, so I should have asked this question on the phone with the OPO, but I was wrung out (nursing a devastated family and a deceased pt does that to me for a day or two) and just trying to get my stuff taken care of.

I recently had an admit who died within minutes of rolling into her room in my ICU. Our policy is to report all deaths to our local OPO to determine if they *may* be eligible, before sending someone to speak to the family about donation. This was my first death since starting my job a yr and a half ago, and only the second sudden death of my career (others were hospice pts in my old LTACH and SNF). The other one was a brain death in the middle of the night so the last few hours of my shift after the declaration were not unlike caring for other vented pts on pressors...just this one was dead, so no need for pain control or to talk to her. So that to say, this was my first death of its kind.

My pt had had 8L NS, 5 units PRBCs, and 3 units FFP en route. I think she had another 8 units PRBCs and 4 or 5 units FFP, plus cryo (can't remember amt) in our ED. I have no idea how much NS they gave b/c they were very focused on saving her and so the I&O was sporifice. (She went to the OR but they brought her up just a few minutes later b/c it was futile).

So that's the BG on my question. Per the OPO, she was not a candidate for cornea or tissue donation either b/c of hemodilution. Is this simply b/c she had so much of other people's blood in her that they can't get an accurate sample for tissue typing? Or is there another reason?

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Possibly how much NS she received. She had a ton of fluids between the ED, OR, and, and your unit. I would ask the rep from the OPO next time for sure.