The commonest but not the only form of donation after cardiac death is retrieval of organs from patients where supportive treatment has been withdrawn in an intensive care setting some of the thorniest issues in such donations arise in the management of these patients prior to their death and in the immediate period after cardiac standstill. With the success of organ transplantation and the declining number of heart beating cadaver doctors the number of patients awaiting a transplant continues to rise this means that alternative sources of donors have been sought including donors after cardiac death such donors sustain rapid damage to their organs due to ischaemia and as a consequence some organs do not work initially and . The surgeons involved in transplantation cannot be part of the end of life care or in the declaration of death this type of donation does not cause or hasten death organs recovered from a donor after cardiac death have some degree of oxygen deprivation during the time after the heart stops beating. Organ donation and transplantation after cardiac death extent p h 322 pages hardback price isbn gbp7500 9780199217335 publisher oxford university press oxford 2009 reviewer neville jamieson star rating