Therapeutic donor hypothermia following brain death to improve the quality of transplanted organs
Amarnath DR et al.; Cochrane Kidney and Transplant, 2026 · 4 studies included
Summary
Four studies enrolled 2,096 donors. Kidney delayed-graft-function analysis included 3,015 recipients; donor and recipient denominators differ.
Conclusion
Delayed kidney graft function RR 0.87 (95% CI 0.71–1.08), low certainty; no clear kidney graft-survival benefit. Organ-utilization outcomes were generally neutral with varying certainty. Donor adverse-event estimates were imprecise. The review does not establish routine cooling benefit or equivalence; follow procurement-network protocols.