MTN's Donor Care and Surgical Recovery Unit

Starting in the early summer of 2022, eligible organ donors will be transferred to MTN’s Donor Care and Surgical Recovery Unit (DCU). The DCU will decrease overall time associated with donation, allowing for earlier funeral and memorial service arrangements. The DCU will allow critical hospital resources to be more readily available to meet the growing demands for community healthcare delivery. It will allow intensive care unit beds and operating rooms to be used for other critically ill patients; on average, MTN occupies an ICU bed with donor care for 48 hours and requires four hours of operating room time for organ recovery.

Transfer process of organ donors to MTN’s DCU

Referral process: The referral process remains the same, per hospital policy. MTN determines eligibility and responds on site as appropriate.

Evaluation and declaration: Brain death evaluation and declaration occurs, per hospital policy. The donation after circulatory death (DCD) process will not change. DCD donors will remain at your facility throughout the donation process.

Donation authorization: The patient is a first-person-registered donor or MTN obtains written authorization for donation from the patient’s legal next of kin.

Family support and clinical management: MTN’s Family Services Coordinator continues supporting the family as needed, while the clinical coordinator begins clinical management of the authorized donor, including any interventions not available at MTN’s DCU.

Transfer eligibility: The patient is hemodynamically stable and eligible for transfer upon assessment by MTN’s clinical coordinator.

Coordinating transfer: MTN coordinates the time of transfer to the DCU and updates hospital partners and donor family members.

Honor walk/transfer: Depending on the facility, the hospital can coordinate an honor walk during the transfer from the ICU to the critical care transport vehicle.

About the DCU

The DCU is a new, specialized facility — located within MTN’s Westwood, Kansas, headquarters — where authorized organ donors will be transferred following brain death pronouncement. Transferring donor heroes to the DCU after close collaboration with our hospital partners will allow for specialized management, allocation and recovery of these gifts. MTN’s goal is to maintain high family and hospital satisfaction by delivering quality and compassionate care.

Eligibility for transfer

Eligible DCU transfer candidates must be pronounced deceased by neurological criteria (brain death). The evaluation of brain death occurs by a physician and is done according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) standards and hospital policies. Once the patient is eligible for transfer upon assessment by MTN’s clinical coordinator, MTN will coordinate the time of transfer to the DCU.

Transfer timeline/process

MTN will begin transferring organ donor heroes following brain death pronouncement — considering family support needs — and after MTN’s clinical coordinator begins clinical management of the authorized donor, including any interventions not available at MTN’s DCU. The patient will need to be hemodynamically stable and eligible for transfer, per MTN’s clinical coordinator, prior to transfer. The honor walk route for these patients will change. Please reach out to your Hospital Services Coordinator for more information.

Impact on hospital resources

The dedicated surgical recovery suite will help alleviate demands on hospital operating rooms and staffing resources for most donor recoveries, which take approximately four hours and can impact availability for trauma or emergent cases. It will also improve scheduling for transplant recipients and surgeons. Transitioning to the DCU model will also ensure transplant team familiarity with MTN’s staff members and facility, allowing for more consistent, efficient outcomes.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about the DCU, please reach out to your assigned Hospital Services Coordinator, call 913-262-1668 or visit mwtn.org.