DePPaRT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Death Prediction and Physiology after Removal of Therapy
IRAS ID
208143
Contact name
Daniel Harvey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 29 days
Research summary
The demand for transplantable organs continues to out-pace the supply. Current accepted practice is to donate organs after the neurologic determination of death (also known as “brain death”). Reconsideration of another type of organ donation: donation after circulatory determination of death has emerged. For this type of donation, a critically ill patient who is not expected to survive is disconnected from the ventilator (breathing-machine), their breathing and heart stops and a short time later they are pronounced dead and their organs are removed for transplantation. Medical standards for circulatory determination of death vary within and between countries. Patient safety and public trust in organ donation rely on clear and acceptable guidelines to ensure a safe diagnosis of death.
The Death Prediction and Physiology after Removal of Therapy (DePPaRT) study is an ongoing multicenter, observational study. The study is recording the biological changes of the heart and brain during the dying process, following withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. It is also collecting information that will be used to help physicians better predict how long it will take someone to die after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.
This is the first large, international study whose purpose is to systematically record the activity and function of the heart and brain during the dying process in both adults and children. This large, observational study will provide much needed scientific data to address concerns about how to predict time to death and determine death using circulatory criteria. This information will help establish accepted medical practices in this area. In Canada, The Canadian National Transplant Research Program, and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group support this project. In the United Kingdom, the UK National Organ Donation Committee and UK NHS Blood and Transplant also fully support the study.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0089
Date of REC Opinion
8 May 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion