Abstract
Since the Organ Transplantation Act was issued in 1997, confirmation of a recipient's intent has been carried out after the sentence of brain death to the donor family by two steps of its determination in Japan. Therefore, transplant centers could prepare organ procurement and transplantation for the recipient once this has been done. This prolonged the total period of procurement process between a donor call to the Japanese Organ Transplant Network and end of the procurement operation. After many years of requests by emergency physicians, a new rule was accepted by the government on 14 February 2015 to settle the recipient's intent earlier than the second determination of the donor's brain death.
A donor is evaluated by medical consultants to determine which organ can be transplanted and the method of donor management, during the period between two steps of determination of brain death. Also, lymphocytes cross match is also done at that time. These processes are essential for the transplant center to decide whether to transplant the particular organ to their recipient. Therefore we should consider these things to renew the process of organ procurements from brain-dead donors in Japan.
