Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Prolonged Circulatory Survival in Organ Donors
ePoster
Authors: Nora Mertz, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine - Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Research Group Nathan Panzalu, DO, Emergency Care Specialists
In patients with blunt trauma injuries, point-of-care ultrasound offers rapid identification of life-threatening injuries such as tension pneumothorax and cardiac tamponade, improving the likelihood of survival. However, even in patients with poor prognosis, the use of point-of-care ultrasound provides another surprising downstream effect: improved outcomes for recipients of organ donation. Previous studies show that organ donation after circulatory death is more likely to result in complications and rejection than donation after brain death. By preventing early hemodynamic collapse and prolonging circulatory survival in the setting of brain death, point-of-care ultrasound can help to improve outcomes not only for patients and their families, but also for the future recipients of organ donation.
Medical Student Researcher Michigan State University College of Human Medicine - Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Research Group Whitmore Lake, United States