脳死臓器提供者の家族と移植コーディネーターによる家族支援の実際

In 1997, an organ donation from a brain-dead donor was legally accepted at the first time inJapan and the first organ transplantation from a brain-dead donor was performed in March, 1999.Between March, 1999 and May, 2008, the organs from 70 brain-dead donors were transplanted into285 critically ill patients（54 hearts, 44 lungs, 52 livers, 11 pancreas, 36 kidney-pancreas, 85 kidneysand 3 small intestines）. Not only do the families of a brain-dead donor have to face the fact that aperson they love becomes brain-dead, they must make a decision to agree organ donation as well.Our investigation results show that most of the families of a brain-dead donor respected his or herwill for organ donation irrespective of their embarrassment arising from their agreement.Although we, transplant coordinators, must strictly follow the instructions for proceedingorgan donation, it is much more important for us to understand the family’s grief and to supportthem from the beginning. Even after organ donation, we support the family of a brain-dead donoraccording to the needs of each family and hold the memorial gathering of family members.Recently, a survey of public opinion showed that the affirmative response toward organ donationhas increased. Furthermore, some organ transplants were approved for the suitable treatmentby Japanese Health Insurance in April, 2006. We hope that a wish of each person for organdonation will become much more respected in Japanese society.