Does the use of pulmonary artery catheters increase the number of organs available for transplantation?

Aggressive donor management, including the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) to monitor hemodynamic status and tissue perfusion, has been associated with a significant increase in the number of organs recovered for transplantation. Nonetheless, there has been growing scrutiny over the use of PACs because of their known complications and lack of therapeutic effect. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of PACs in the management of organ donors. The records of all patients who successfully donated organs between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005 were reviewed. A total of 96 patients underwent successful organ donation during the four-yr study period. Of these, 49 (51.0%) were managed with a PAC. Compared with donors managed without a PAC, there were significantly more hearts recovered from donors managed with a PAC (71.4% vs. 44.7%; p = 0.0079) with no difference in the daily administration of fluids and vasopressors between the two groups. The management of organ donors with a PAC can help maximize cardiac procurement.