The patient is on a ventilator and has a heartbeat, but is brain dead. What should the nurse do?
a. Provide a private area to discuss organ donation.
b. Explain that as long as the heart is beating, the patient is alive.
c. Inform the family that the organs will be harvested when he is off the ventilator.
d. Stress the importance of leaving the patient on the ventilator to harvest the corneas.
A
Provide a private area for the family to discuss organ donation if this is an option. Many people do not understand "brain death." Family members often believe that the person is still alive because his or her heart is still beating. For their loved one to donate major organs (e.g., heart, lungs, liver), the body must be kept in good functional condition so the organs will not become damaged before donation. The patient remains on a ventilator until his or her organs are removed. Nonvital tissues such as corneas, skin, long bones, and middle ear bones can be removed at the time of death without maintaining vital functions.
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