On July 1, 2023, MOHAN Foundation organised a masterclass on "Paediatric Organ Donation," in collaboration with the Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators (NATCO) and Common Wealth Tribute to Life, for its employees and NATCO members. The masterclass was supported by the SBI Foundation.
The experts for the masterclass were Dr Deepak Gupta, Professor of Neurosurgery, AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Navdeep Bansal, Transplant Coordinator, PGIMER, Chandigarh and Ms. Angie, Lead Nurse: Paediatric and Neonatal Donation, NHS Blood and Transplant, UK.
Dr. Deepak Gupta began his talk by sharing with the audience that a large number of neuro surgeons and intensivists in India were not even aware that children can donate organs. He dedicated his talk to Rolly Prajapati, a six-year-old girl from Noida who died due to a gunshot wound on April 27, 2023 and became the youngest organ donor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
His talk focussed on the protocols on brain stem death declaration and certification in children. He also emphasised on the importance of adhering to the ethical and legal guidelines during the donation process so as to ensure the welfare and rights of all the involved parties. He spoke about the challenges and unique considerations involved in paediatric brain-stem death certification (PBDC). For example: difficulty in visualising pupillary response, less responsive corneal reflex, difficult corneal reflex elicitation etc.
Angie shared her experience and challenges of the paediatric brain-stem death declaration in the UK. She contributed the challenges to the following factors: lack of knowledge and awareness, and also lack of confidence amongst physicians in testing due to some high-profile cases that had gone to court.
Dr Navdeep Bansal’s talk focussed on the counselling of families in cases of paediatric donations. He shared with the audience that the decision to donate a child's organs is often incredibly challenging for families, as it involves coping with the loss of a loved one while considering the potential to save other children's lives.
A poll was done during the course of the session, asking people to answer in yes or no as to how many of the transplant coordinators in the audience had handled paediatric donations.
The webinar was well received by the audience and had some very interesting queries:
• What are the additional tests that are required in the UK for brain-stem death declaration in children? (to Angie)
• Any specific programmes designed by NHSBT for paediatric organ donation counselling? (to Angie)
• What are the common concerns raised by the family about the donation of organs in a child? (Dr Gupta)
• What is the course of action in cases where the second apnoe test is inconclusive? (to Dr Gupta)
• Is autopsy not required in medico-legal cases in paediatric donation? (to Dr Bansal)
Close to 52 participants attended the webinar.
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