Application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation on organ donation after cardiac death

The donated organ after cardiac death would undergo warn ischemia injury inevitably, and the incidences of primary non function of donated organs, transplanted organ loss and ischemic type biliary lesions were increased. It is a paramount research dilemma to devise how to avert, lessen and  recover  the warm ischemia organs after donation of cardiac death (DCD). Since February 2009, the Liver Transplantation Center of Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA has applied the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to protect the organs of DCD. The mechanism of  recovering  the donors from warm ishemia by ECMO has good prospects in the field of international organ donation, and it is an important method to solve the problem of donor shortage in China.  Spreading the application range of ECMO in DCD and establishing the standard procedures and techniques in China is of great importance.