Geospatial analysis of liver donation after death by drug intoxication.

The study examines the relationship between deaths from drug intoxication and liver donations in the United States over a decade (2011-2020). According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there has been an increase in deaths from drug intoxication, which has contributed to a potential increase in liver donations. The researchers collected data on the number of drug intoxication-related deaths and liver donors who died from drug intoxication, and calculated the ratio of liver donors to total deaths at the county level. The results showed significant regional variation in liver donation rates, with county-level proportions of liver donors after drug intoxication ranging from 0 to 0.600. This suggests that some counties are more efficient in converting drug intoxication-related deaths into liver donations than others. The study also investigated "missed donation opportunities," which refers to the difference between the actual number of liver donors and the potential number of donors if all counties achieved the same efficiency as the top-performing counties. The results showed that if every county matched the efficiency of the 90th and 50th percentile counties, the liver donor pool could have grown by 7572 or 1550 donors over the decade, respectively. The researchers also analyzed the relationship between missed opportunities for liver donation and county-level variables, such as social vulnerability, distance from a trauma center, and rural county status. The results showed that missed donation opportunities increased with higher social vulnerability, distance from a trauma center, and rural county status, but decreased as the rate of deaths by drug intoxication rose. These findings suggest that targeted efforts to increase liver donations in regions with the greatest potential for improvement could help to address the shortage of liver donors and ultimately save more lives. By identifying areas with high rates of missed donation opportunities, healthcare professionals and policymakers can develop strategies to improve liver donation rates and increase access to life-saving transplants. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40167364/