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The process follows rigorous national guidelines, he added.

The study published Monday compared data from the “pre-DCD” period between 2002 and 2006, the “early DCD” period to 2010 and the “recent DCD period” from 2010 to 2014. Donations increased by 57 per cent in the 12-year period, from 578 donors in the pre-DCD era to 905 donors in the recent DCD era.

In the recent DCD era, 21 per cent of donors were from the DCD group. At the same time, NDD donations also increased. The mean length of hospital stay before declaration of death for NDD was 2.7 days, compared to six days before withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies for DCD, the study found.

In the past, transplant physicians had been hesitant to use organs from DCD donors over concerns about the quality of the organs, because they have been deprived of oxygen. That has also changed. Research has shown that organs are very resilient, particularly the kidneys, liver and lungs, said Dhanani, who is the former chief medical officer at Trillium Gift of Life.

Most importantly, the study shows more people in Ontario had the opportunity to donate, he said. There have been concerns about conflicts of interest, which is why it is important that conversations about the end of life are separate from those about organ donation.

“We have to be very thoughtful about it. The first discussions have to be about survival, not organ donation,” said Dhanani. “My mantra is that the conversations be separate in time, place and person. We have the conversation after the medical conversation has happened. Donation is trying for a positive experience for families in the long term. It’s good for families that are grieving, and it’s good for families on the waiting list.”