Visit the Cleveland Clinic’s portal for Death by Neurological Criteria.

The portal gives you access to the Death by Neurological Criteria (DNC) course, which explains how to properly assess evidence of cerebral function in patients in a coma. It outlines the accepted medical standards for determining DNC and details the elements included in the clinical examination.

Organ Procurement and HIPPA​

Catastrophic Brain Injury Guidelines

These guidelines are to preserve organ function in the neurologically-devastated patient.

Organ donation should not be mentioned to the patient’s family. LifeNet Health will consult with the healthcare team before discussing donation options with the family.

Maintain SBP>100 (MAP>60)

Supporting Donor Families

Donor Recognition Ceremonies

Every year, LifeNet Health hosts a donor recognition ceremony to celebrate those who have given the gift of life. Donor family members, transplant recipients and healthcare professionals are invited to share the program of remembrance and inspiration.

Steps to Ensure Donor Viability

LifeNet Health Coordinator's Role
After brain death is declared and consent is given, management of the patient is assumed by the LifeNet Health coordinator, whose key responsibilities include the following:

Reaching Out to Families

Recognizing that families who have the opportunity to donate find tremendous value in the act of donation, the hospital that takes ownership utilizes LifeNet Health coordinators and family support staff to provide the explanation, information, and grief support that the hospital simply does not have the time and current clinical information to offer.

The hospital ensures that the patient is physiologically maintained until LifeNet Health has evaluated the patient as a potential candidate to donate and the family has been informed of the option for donation.

Declaration of Death by Neurological Criteria (Brain Death)

The primary role of the physician is to care for the critically ill patient, continually assessing the patient’s neurological status and, when appropriate, declare death by neurological criteria.

Notification of Donor Potential

The hospital that takes ownership of the donation process identifies and refers potential donors early and recognizes that the early referral is not "giving up on a patient;" rather, it is an opportunity to provide families a chance to donate. An early referral also attunes us to the potential donor's medical and family needs in case treatment cannot prevent a decline in the patient's condition.

For Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

With 72 hospitals in its service area, LifeNet Health’s Hospital Services staff works with healthcare professionals to save and improve hundreds of lives every year. The primary goal of our hospital services staff is to assist each hospital in establishing an effective process to deal with the opportunity of donation when a patient dies. This process is often customized to incorporate current best practices and meet the specific requirements of each hospital.