Donation after circulatory death in Turkey and the Middle East: Current status

Tissue and organ transplantation is the best treatment option for end-stage organ failure. However, organ shortage still remains to be the greatest challenge facing the field of organ transplantation. Millions of people die and are buried with healthy organs, which could save the lives of many patients who continue to wait on transplant lists. Countries must aim to work towards a system of matching organs as much as possible with the deceased donation to meet the growing demand for organs. This action will not only result in the reduction of organ trafficking activities but shall also make an enormous difference to those patients awaiting transplants where living organ donors are not an option.

Donation after circulator death (DCD) has gained much attention over the last decade as one of the accepted practices in order to expand the donor pool. DCD donation takes place after declaration of death using cardio-respiratory criteria in contrast to donation after brain death (DBD) where neurological criteria are used. Although DCD remains a focus of interest and contributes to donor numbers in many countries, it also poses many challenges medically, ethically and legally. Unfortunately, controlled DCD is not really in practice in Turkey and the Middle East.

Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current status of DCD in Turkey and the Middle East and to identify associated concerns medically and ethically.