DONATE-Pilot Study: Prospective Observational Study of the ICU Management of Deceased Organ Donors

This prospective observational cohort pilot study enrols consented organ donors admitted to 4 high volume centres over a period of 12 months. Various clinical data on deceased donors are collected prospectively from the time of consent for organ donation up to and including the day of organ recovery.

The main objectives of the DONATE-Pilot reflect the objectives of the national study which correspond to the steps in developing a platform for future clinical trials.

1. Form research teams at participating ICUs that will include an ICU physician-researcher, a local organ donation champion, ICU research coordinators and (in a limited role) a local coordinator from the provincial Organ Donation Organization (ODO);
2. Observe, record, and describe ICU practices in deceased donor care (e.g., donor resuscitation, organ suitability assessments, death declaration) which are likely to vary by site, region and province and will be very important to inform clinical care protocols for future RCTs.
3. Engage and work with ODOs from each province to foster data sharing and develop procedures to enhance efficiency in future RCTs.
4. Investigate the comparative effectiveness of various ICU interventions in deceased donor care (e.g. the potential for hormonal therapies to improve transplant rates, the potential of heparin therapy to improve peri-operative graft function);
5. Produce specific knowledge translation tools that will serve in the future as both clinical tools to enhance ICU care and research tools to facilitate future RCTs.

As part of the DONATE-Pilot we also aim to assess feasibility. Specifically the objectives are to:

1. Refine data collection procedures for deceased donors in ICU;
2. Estimate time requirements for data collection;
3. Develop efficient links to post-transplantation data and;
4. Share data as it accrues with clinicians.