Transplant Digest Spring/Summer 2018, Issue No. 24
Organ donation after Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) By Dr. Jeff Zaltzman In this issue... Medical assistance in dying (MAID) became legal in Québec in December 2015, and the rest of Canada in June 2016. While the vast majority of MAID occurs in the hospital setting, there is a growing number of cases occurring in homes or hospices. The majority of patients who have undergone the MAID process have done so for advanced cancers. However, some patients have elected MAID for conditions with a progressive disabling neurological deterioration and progressive loss of autonomy and function.
Organ donation after Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) From The Editor’s Desk Bone Disease after Kidney Transplantation Post Transplant Recommended Vaccines
In Ontario, Trillium Gift of Life Network, (TGLN) the organ donor Delayed Graft Function organization undertook an evaluation and developed a process Urine ACR for organ and tissue donation from eligible Ontario patients for Practical tips for medication undergoing MAID. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America management to have organ and tissue donation from patients who choose MAID as an end-of-life option. Although this has occurred in some Post Kidney Transplant Clinic European countries, what is unique to the process in Ontario is the Changes Its Patient Education Process ability to obtain first-person consent from the potential donor after their initial decision to undergo MAID. The discussion about organ Post-Transplant Chat: donation takes place after the patient makes a decision to end his Allergies after Transplantation or her life, and once eligibility criteria have been determined. As an Research Education and example, patients with cancer would be excluded from consideration Innovation Day within Diabetes of organ donation following MAID, whereas patients with a Comprehensive Care Program progressive neurological condition may be candidates. In general, 2018 patients have the ability to consider organ and tissue donation while 7th Connect and Learn a Big Success they are alive, and planning for donation and transplantation can be Being a Living Donor Coordinator made weeks in advance. Eligible patients are admitted to hospital and undergo appropriate blood tests and evaluation to ensure Contact information their suitability as organ and tissue donors. Allocation of organs is determined in advance of the MAID process, and patients’ rights and autonomy are respected throughout the course. At the time of the MAID procedure, transplants surgeons are on standby and can begin to recover suitable organs once death has occurred. In general this process happens very quickly. To date there have been six MAID organ donors, and dozens of MAID tissue donors in Ontario. Suitable organs for transplant include kidneys, liver, pancreas, and lungs. Although MAID does not occur in every hospital in Ontario,
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Transplant Digest 1 Spring/Summer 2018