Donation after brainstem death (DBD) remains the main source of organs in deceased organ donation program, both globally and in India. Despite the presence of a legal framework and established national guidelines, the identification and certification of brainstem death remain inconsistent across intensive care units (ICUs) in India. Limited familiarity with certification protocols, and lack of structured training often result in missed opportunities for deceased organ donation in the country.

Another major challenge lies in the optimal medical management of a deceased donor following the declaration of brainstem death. Maintaining physiological stability in the ICU to preserve organ function until retrieval requires specialised knowledge, coordinated teamwork, and adherence to standard donor management protocols. Gaps in training and experience often lead to suboptimal donor maintenance, adversely affecting organ utilisation and outcomes.

MOHAN Foundation offers this short-term online course (12 hours) for healthcare professionals on ‘Brainstem Death’ aiming at sensitising the ICU doctors and nurses on identifying and certifying brainstem death and donor optimisation. The course is formatted to educate the medical and paramedical professionals with the key aspects of brainstem death and deceased organ donation in India.

The course curriculum includes 

• Understanding brainstem death
• Diagnosis and certifying brainstem death in ICU
• Protocol for diagnosis & certification of brainstem death
• Optimisation of potential organ donor
• Case scenarios - Managing potential donors in ICU
• Legal framework of brainstem death in India
• State government orders on brain stem death

Not applicable

To be updated