Understanding the Organ Donation Process: Donation After Brain Death (DBD) and Circulatory Death (DCD)
Most Americans support organ donation. But hereโs a surprising fact: only about 1-2% of deaths in the U.S. clinically allow for organ donation. This is one reason for the scarcity of organs, which means sadly 16 people die waiting for a lifesaving transplant each day.Thatโs because donation can only happen under very specific circumstances: donation after brain death (DBD) or through a process called donation after circulatory death (DCD). While both pathways can save lives, they are different. And most…