Introduction: The scarcity of organ donation has led to an increase in mortality among patients on waiting lists. Understanding the contraindication reasons allows the creation of strategies to improve organ utilization. The aim is to describe the contraindication reasons of donors at all phases of the organ donation critical pathway in Colombia.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study including potential organ donors evaluated in 2022 at Fundación Donar Colombia, considering regions 1, 2, and 5. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical diagnoses, consent for donation, and contraindication reasons were included. Descriptive analytics were evaluated, and the chi-square test was performed for categorical variables and Student's t-test or its non-parametric equivalent for continuous variables.
Results: A total of 1442 Potential Donors were included, of which 147 were Effective Donors, representing 10.2%. With an average age of 46.2 years (±19.6), most were men (61.9%) and belonged to region 1 (48.1%). Statistically significant differences were found between age groups, region, and diagnosis of brain death. The most frequent contraindication causes were comorbidities (40.1%), 33.9% did not meet diagnostic criteria for brain death, medico-legal reasons (7.5%), and lack of family consent (6.2%).
Conclusion: The main contraindication reasons in cadaveric donors in the country were described. Prioritizing focused strategies could ensure better approval rates in organ donation in Colombia and the region.