How oxygen levels relate to when circulation stops during controlled (Maastricht III) organ donation

Study of the Occurrence of Cardiocirculatory Arrest as a Function of the Level of Hypoxemia During a Maastricht 3 Procedure. Prospective Observational Multicenter Study

Observational Nantes University Hospital · NCT06780722

This research will test how oxygen levels change around the time the heart stops in adults who undergo controlled Maastricht III organ donation.

Quick facts

Study typeObservational
Enrollment50 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorNantes University Hospital Academic / other
Locations12 sites (Angers and 11 other locations)
Trial IDNCT06780722 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study will measure blood oxygen levels in donors during the Maastricht III controlled withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy and at the moment of cardiocirculatory arrest. Serial blood samples will be collected from consenting adult donors and linked to precise timing of circulation loss, with limited clinical data recorded. De-identified data will also be collected from adult recipients who receive organs from those donors. The work is carried out at several French university hospitals under the existing legal framework for Maastricht III donation.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants are adults undergoing a controlled Maastricht III organ donation under French law and adult transplant recipients who receive organs from those donors and consent to data use.

Not a fit: Children, living donors, pregnant or breast-feeding women, people who have registered a refusal, and patients under legal protection are not eligible and unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could clarify physiological changes at circulatory arrest and help refine donation protocols to improve organ preservation and allocation.

How similar studies have performed: Prior observational work on donation after circulatory death has described physiological changes at arrest, but detailed blood-sampling focused on hypoxemia timing in Maastricht III procedures is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
FOR THE DONORS :

Inclusion Criteria :

* Patient over 18 years of age
* Organ donation procedure initiated in accordance with the legislation and procedures in force in France for the Maastricht III category
* No opposition formulated by the relative to the patient's participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria :

* Patient registered on the national register of refusals or living refusal of donation
* Pregnant or breast-feeding women
* Patients under guardianship, curatorship or legal protection
* Medical contraindication to organ donation according to the recommendations of the Agence de Biomédecine currently in force in France

FOR THE RECEIVER

Inclusion Criteria :

* No opposition to the collection of data concerning him/her
* Patient over 18 at pre-transplant consultation
* Patient who has received an organ from a donor participating in the HEPHAISTOS protocol

Exclusion Criteria :

\- Patients under guardianship, curatorship or legal protection

Where this trial is running

Angers and 11 other locations

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Cardiac ArrestReanimation
Last reviewed 2026-06-09 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.