US Enhances Donor Safeguards as Heart-Stop Donations Hit 49% Rate

The Health Resources and Services Administration is developing new national policies to enhance safeguards for organ donation after circulatory death following reports of rare instances where donors showed signs of life.This shift in protocols comes as a study from NYU Langone Health reveals that heart-stop donations now account for 49% of all deceased donors in the US, up from 2% in 2000.Babak Orandi and other experts emphasize these procedures are critical for the 100,000 people on transplant waiting lists, despite regional variations and ongoing ethical debates.