The development of Donation Decoded began with a drive to save more lives through organ donation.

One way to save more lives through donation and transplantation is to increase the number of donors following cardiac death. OPO staff spend countless hours each year working to honor a person’s heroic wish to be a donor. Was there a way to better evaluate a potential donor to determine if they were a likely candidate for donation following cardiac death?

Our team dove into the data and developed algorithms to predict outcomes more efficiently.

For years, LOPA along with other OPOs have used Donation Decoded to predict the potential for donation and save more lives. The beautiful part of this tool; it’s free to access and easy to use. Your team spends time on the front end for training, and then your OPO will experience the satisfaction of saving more lives in your service area too.

Contact our team today to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DCD Donor?

Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) occurs when a potential donor has not progressed to brain death, and the donor’s family makes the decision to withdraw life sustaining therapies due to the prognosis given by the attending physician. If the potential donor passes away within the allotted time after withdrawal of care, viable organs can be recovered for transplantation. The recoverable organs include kidneys, liver, pancreas, and lungs. DCD saves lives and offers the opportunity for a donor’s family to fulfill their loved one’s wish to give the gift of life.

Why was Donation Decoded developed?

It was developed to more accurately assess donor potential for DCD. This increased accuracy can help reduce case shutdowns, increase the number of organs for transplant by capturing previously missed potential donors, and improve interactions with families, hospital partners, and OPO staff.

How does the application work?

Algorithms for Donation Decoded were developed by examining data points, their relation to one another, and how these affect the time from extubation to circulatory death. These data points were then molded into a formula to differentiate between a “strong” and “poor” candidate for circulatory death within a one hour time frame.

How long has the tool been successfully used at LOPA?

Donation Decoded has been standard procedure at LOPA for approximately 5 years.

LOPA’s overall accuracy rate for predicting if a DCD donor will arrest within 60 mins hovers around 90%. Other OPO's are averaging a prediction rate of around 80%. With increased use and continued data analysis, outcome percentages can potentially increase.

What type of support is offered for someone outside of LOPA who is using the tool?

LOPA support via phone and email is offered for users of the tool. Support via email can be accessed directly through the website. A feedback bar at the top of the screen gives users the opportunity to send feedback or suggestions.

What does the training process look like for someone interested in using the tool? How long is training?

An intensive in-person training is conducted by the Donation Decoded development team at the host OPO. In-person training encourages participants to ask questions and discuss different scenarios relevant to their particular OPO. It offers an opportunity for users to become familiar with the interface, and learn the whats and whys of the evaluation. The host OPO will also have the opportunity to train in-house educators. This training typically takes about 6-8 hours or a full day per session.

Why should we use Donation Decoded?

Very simply, it’s accuracy speaks to its worth. LOPA is saving and healing more lives on an ongoing basis. Time and resource utilization have improved dramatically. It allows our staff to give families a realistic outlook for how their loved one can help others. Our hospital partners feel more encouraged and confident in our processes. It is a FREE tool offered to other OPOs.

If you have a question or would like to discuss Donation Decoded, please connect with us by sending an email to info@donationdecoded.org