[Okayama University] Clarifying the Reality of the Brain-Dead Organ Donation Process: Analysis of 16 Facilities Reveals Institutional Variability

Okayama University has revealed that there is significant variability in the process of organ donation after brain death among medical facilities. Facilities with more experience in organ donation tend to allow more time for families to make decisions, suggesting the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and the need for standardization of medical systems. Although the number of organ donations after brain death in Japan has been increasing in recent years, only about 30% of facilities have experience with such donations, and it is known that there is significant variability in systems between regions and facilities. However, the detailed reality has not been sufficiently clarified. A research group led by Lecturer Tetsuya Yumoto and Professor Atsunori Nakao of the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences clarified the reality of the process leading to organ donation after brain death in the 'J-RESPECT study,' in which 16 emergency medical centers nationwide participated. In this study, 204 cases over 13 years from 2010 to 2023 were analyzed, showing that there is significant variability in the process leading to organ donation by facility. In particular, it was found that facilities with more experience in donation take more time for families to decide on organ donation. This study clarifies the issues of the medical system surrounding organ donation and shows the importance of creating an environment where families can make decisions based on sufficient information. In the future, it is expected to lead to the construction of a system where high-quality specialized medical care can be received equally anywhere in the country and the promotion of social understanding. These research results were published in the American journal 'Critical Care Medicine' on March 26, 2026.