Doctors from Erasmus MC, UMC Utrecht and UMC Groningen have recently performed the very first DCD heart donation procedures in The Netherlands. Previously, heart donation was only ever possible through a brain-dead donor, however DCD means that donation is now possible after circulatory death instead and is more likely the be performed in children.
With a national shortage of donor hearts, this was the reason for the UMCs to look at the use of this this technique in The Netherlands, this was done in collaboration with the Dutch Transplantation Foundation and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
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