Organ transplantation from donor who died of cyanide poisoning: A case report

Abstract

Shortage of donor organs has become on of the most important limiting factors in the field of transplantation. Suitability of organs from patients dying from poisoning is an unexplored area. This is because of the suspicion that the organs, in particular the liver and the kidneys, might have been irreversibly damaged by the poison. We report a case of cyanide poisoning in which the kidneys and corneas were harvested after the level of poison fell to below lethal concentration. These organs were later transplanted without any evidence of adverse effects at follow-up.