This week brings new leadership at UNOS and a fresh batch of research touching the harder edges of donation: ECPR ethics, ABO genotyping, and refusal after brain death. Here is what matters for your next shift.
01
Mark Johnson named CEO of UNOS.
UNOS announced Mark Johnson as its new chief executive on August 24. The appointment lands during a period of heavy scrutiny on OPO performance metrics and ongoing transition work across the transplant network.
On your shift. Leadership sets the tone for how allocation policy, performance data, and coordinator workload get prioritized. Watch for how Johnson signals his stance on OPO metrics and staffing pressure in the coming months.
New study maps the causes and barriers behind organ donation refusal after brain death.
A cross-sectional study published this month tracks cases from brain death diagnosis to family refusal, identifying where consent breaks down. The findings point to specific communication and timing gaps rather than blanket family reluctance.
On your shift. The authorization conversation is often where a case is won or lost, and this data can sharpen how and when you approach families. Concrete barrier categories give you something to compare against your own refusals.
New letter examines ethical and clinical challenges of organ donation after ECPR.
Published August 27, this letter to the editor digs into the gray zones around donation following extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It weighs the clinical and consent complications that ECPR cases introduce into the donation pathway.
On your shift. ECPR referrals are showing up more often and they carry unusual timing and consent wrinkles. Knowing the ethical debate ahead of time helps you navigate these cases with your medical director instead of improvising at the bedside.
ABO genotyping shown useful for resolving serologic ambiguities in deceased donation.
A study published August 26 evaluates ABO genotyping as a tool when standard serologic typing returns ambiguous results in deceased donors. The approach may reduce uncertainty that can delay or derail allocation.
On your shift. An ambiguous ABO result can stall a case and eat hours you do not have. Genotyping as a backstop is worth flagging to your lab and medical staff when serology comes back unclear.