Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (CCTN) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The definition of Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) refers specifically to the process wherein organs are procured from a donor after the irreversible cessation of cardiac function. This means that the donor's heart has stopped beating and circulation has ceased, thereby leading to the declaration of death based on the criteria of circulatory, rather than neurological, death.

This process is distinct from brain death, which is characterized by the irreversible loss of all brain function, where the donor may still be on life support to maintain organ viability until donation can occur. In the context of DCD, the potential donors are those who have not met brain death criteria but whose circulatory death is recognized, allowing for the possibility of organ donation following established guidelines and protocols.

The other options do not accurately describe the DCD process. Donors meeting brain death criteria are under the category of Donation After Brain Death (DBD), which is a different protocol. The statement regarding donation limited to the liver after circulatory death is misleading, as various organs can be procured. Lastly, donors declared brain dead but remaining on life support primarily refers to a situation of potential organ donation but does not involve Donation After Circulatory Death processes. Thus, the correct choice encapsulates the true