Guideline for coding organ donation after death
This page explains how we code organ donation after death; it has it's own page because may concepts tie together around this and the information should only live in one place.
| Background |
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We usually encode death in Dispo; for patients with dx Brain death who are moved to a different location for Organ donor (organ/tissue donation by the donor) this means we lose either the info about their death or their new location. We needed a special case compromise to ensure this is dealt with consistently. |
Instructions for coding these patients
We will not have a separate code for cadaver donations. Instead also code the following as appropriate
- After brain death: Brain death
- Donation after Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) -- where a person who undergoes MAID has made arrangements in advance for organ harvesting after death.
We do not have a special code for:
- Donation after cardiac death (DCD) -- where a donor who is not brain dead is dependent on life support and the family has decided to withdraw care. When the patient's heart stops beating, the organs are then recovered in the operating room.
Some organ donors have a bronchscopy done, but not all do, so don't automatically assume and code it. The only time it is done is if there are considering the lungs. This is according to a Respirologist from STB ICU.
