"With every single patient the obvious goal of providers everywhere is save that person's life," said Darryl Arnold, the clinical donation specialist at Fletcher Allen.
Sadly, for Champlain College Freshman Peter Cernansky, that did not happen. He died in August following a longboarding accident on Spruce Street in Burlington. His family made the decision to donate his organs.
"During regular hours we are on site almost immediately, but we try to get there as fast as possible because that window for that option shrinks very quickly," Arnold said.
So far this year the hospital has seen 12 donors-- up about 20 percent from last year. Oftentimes, artificial means are used to keep folks alive while families weigh their options and doctors prepare to remove the organs.
"That option is important because when somebody dies by the traditional cardiopulmonary criteria their organs stop being oxygenated and being perfused with blood and start to deteriorate very, very quickly," Arnold explained.
Right now hundreds of Vermonters are waiting for transplants, but making a match comes with major challenges--chief among them may be how a potential donor dies.
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