Non-heart beating organ donation.

Increasing the levels of non-heart beating organ donation (NHBOD) is a potential means of improving the supply of transplantable organs. NHBOD may provide a mechanism to enable a patient's prior wishes to be realised and to provide comfort to a family in grief. There is an overriding ethical principle to strictly divide the responsibility for the care of the dying patient and the potential transplant recipient. Medical protocols need to be written, and institutional ethics committees and our national organ procurement system need to be involved if we are to protect public confidence and see NHBOD realise its full potential.