AUTHOR=van Dijk Nathalie , Stärcke Paulan , de Jongh Wim , Jansen Nichon , Shaw David , Bollen Jan , van Mook Walther 

TITLE=Organ Donation After Euthanasia in Patients Suffering From Psychiatric Disorders: 10-Years of Preliminary Experiences in the Netherlands

JOURNAL=Transplant International

VOLUME=Volume 36 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/transplant-international/articles/10.3389/ti.2023.10934

DOI=10.3389/ti.2023.10934

ISSN=1432-2277

ABSTRACT=Organ donation after euthanasia (ODE) in patients suffering from unbearable psychiatric illness is not specifically addressed in the Dutch guideline on organ donation after euthanasia, although ODE in patients with psychiatric suffering is performed. National data on organ donation after euthanasia in psychiatric patients have not yet been published. In this article, the preliminary results of the 10-year Dutch case series of psychiatric patients choosing ODE are presented. This article discusses whether euthanasia based on psychiatric suffering, followed by subsequent organ donation, is medically and legally permissible. It is acknowledged that additional safeguards need to be in place to protect the patients and the health care professionals who facilitate the procedure. Further qualitative exploration is of paramount importance, to gain more scientific insight into this specific type of organ donation after euthanasia and its associated ethical and practical dilemmas, including the consequences for the patient and their family and health care professionals.