#469 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Should organ donation be part of every neonatal end-of-life conversation?

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In this Journal Club episode, Daphna reviews the first national estimate of potential neonatal organ donors, a Pediatrics cohort study from 23 Australian NICUs, along with its companion commentary. Of 1,760 infants who died in the NICU between 2012 and 2022 at 35 weeks corrected age or later, about one in three met conservative eligibility criteria. Most would have donated after circulatory death, and a smaller group with severe HIE could potentially have donated after neurological determination of death. They discuss referral timing, outcomes of en bloc kidney transplants from neonatal donors, and how NICUs can offer families this option as part of end-of-life care.

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Potential Neonatal Donors in Australia: A National Cohort Study. Barzegar R, Cavazzoni E, Popat H, Wong G.Pediatrics. 2026 Sep 3:e2025075110. doi: 10.1542/peds.2025-075110. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42686207

The Untapped Potential of Organ Donation from the NICU. Nguyen BV, Coloma M, Crouch EE.Pediatrics. 2026 Sep 3:e2026076954. doi: 10.1542/peds.2026-076954. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42686210 No abstract available.

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