The use of stroke volume variation to guide donor management is associated with increased organs transplanted per donor

Background: There is a national shortage of organs available for transplantation, and utilization rates for thoracic organs are less than 40%. In addition, the optimal method of assessing cardiovascular status during donor management is uncertain. FloTrac is a noninvasive hemodynamic technique that measures cardiac output and fluid responsiveness. Our objective was to measure the impact of using this technique to guide management on fluid balance, vasopressor usage, thyroid hormone usage, and pulmonary function. We hypothesized that FloTrac guidance will increase thoracic organs transplanted per donor (OTPD). Methods: Data were prospectively collected on a convenience sample of 38 donors after neurologic determination of death. Organs transplanted, net fluid balance, dosage of vasopressors, dosage of thyroid hormone, and PaO₂:FIO₂ were compared between treatment and control groups. Results: The treatment group had greater thoracic OTPD (1.3 [1.0] vs 0.4 [0.6], P = .004) and overall OTPD (4.3 [1.5] vs 2.7 [1.5], P = .002). Donors in the treatment group maintained a neutral fluid balance, had more thyroid hormone used, and had an improvement in oxygenation. Conclusion: The implementation of this technology to aid providers may help ameliorate the shortage of thoracic and overall organs available for transplantation.