Introduction: The number of Japan's deceased donors compared to other developed countries is very low. In 2021, the number of deceased donors per million people was only 0.62 in Japan, compared to 41.6 in the United States. In Japan, the Organ Donation Facility Cooperation System began in 2019 for hospitals to share experiences and establish a system for organ donation. In 2021, Shizuoka Prefecture started the GCS3 registry to identify potential organ donors early and begin family support.
Method: The GCS3 registry enrolled cases with GCS3 due to brain injury. Five facilities participated. We began registration in October 2021, and the cases were aggregated through December 2022. The registration items included the patient's age, gender, disease, information on indications for organ donation, involvement with the patient's family, and information related to the explanation of organ donation.
Result: A total of 57 cases were entered into the GCS3 registry. Thirty-seven cases were considered terminal. Of the thirty-seven cases, nine were not indicated for organ donation, and twenty-one were explained for organ donation. Of these, only two cases resulted in organ donation.
Conclusion: In a 2021 poll in Japan, 39.5% of respondents answered that they would be willing to donate their organs if they were determined to be brain dead or if their heart stopped. However, the results of the GCS3 registry showed that only a few resulted in organ donation. This is likely to result from insufficient discussion between the medical staff and the patient's family. Establishing a system that can support patients and their families from the early stage is necessary.