Outcome measures in solid organ donor management research: a systematic review.
Bera, K. D., et al.British Journal of Anaesthesia 2021 [record in progress].
Aims
The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting findings on brain-dead donor management interventions.
Interventions
Electronic databases including MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science and trial databases were searched. Study screening was performed by two independent reviewers. Three reviewers independently extracted data. The methodological quality of the included studies were assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing risk of bias, by two independent reviewers.
Participants
22 studies were included in the review.
Outcomes
Compare outcome measures reported across RCTs on brain-dead donor management interventions.
Follow-up
N/A
CET Conclusions
This systematic review analyses randomized controlled trials of donor interventions prior to solid organ transplantation. The authors explore characteristics of these trials, including outcomes reported, intervention types and consent. The review is well-conducted and methodologically very sound. Perhaps the most striking finding is that the majority of studies focus on the outcomes of one organ type, ignoring outcomes in other organ transplants from the same donor. Outcomes were mainly limited to graft and recipient survival. There are some clear pointers for improvement in future research, including reporting of all organ outcomes and establishment of a core outcome set for donor intervention research.
Trial registration
PROSPERO - CRD42018109487