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Organ Donation Suitability with COPD — SCE Palliative Medicine MCQ

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HardEnd of Life CareOrgan Donation Suitability with COPDSCE Palliative Medicine

A patient with end-stage COPD is registered as an organ donor and asks whether lung disease makes the registration meaningless. What should the consultant explain?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Specialists assess each organ and tissue at death

Explanation lettering: E = shown as A · D = shown as C · C = shown as D · A = shown as E

B is correct. Registration records the person’s decision, while specialist donation and transplant teams assess individual organs and tissues in the clinical circumstances at death. COPD may affect lung suitability but does not automatically exclude other organs or tissues. A reverses that logic. C and D invent cancellation rules, and E wrongly treats one diagnosis as a universal contraindication.

Reference: NHS Blood and Transplant: who can donate?: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/about-organ-donation/who-can-donate/