In 2016, the Canadian Critical Care Society published a withdrawal of life sustaining measures (WLSM) guideline with the intent of standardizing WLSM practices and quality assurance frameworks.
A crucial aspect of the DCD process, Canadian Blood Services convened a pan-Canadian and multidisciplinary collaborative to examine the WLSM guideline and create implementation and quality tools to support the adoption of the guideline in hospitals across the country.
A set of guiding principles for implementation of the guideline in DCD practice were produced, as well as implementation and quality assurance tools.
Journal Publications:
Healey, A., Hartwick, M., Downar, J. et al. Improving quality of withdrawal of life-sustaining measures in organ donation: a framework and implementation toolkit. Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-020-01774-6
Downar J, Delaney JW, Hawryluck L, Kenny L. Guidelines for the withdrawal of life-sustaining measures. Intensive Care Med. 2016;42(6):1003-1017. doi:10.1007/s00134-016-4330-7
Reports
For additional resources, visit the Withdrawal of Life Sustaining Measures Resources page. Resources include:
Implementation Tools
Quality Assurance Tools