Donation after circulatory death (DCD) offers an additional opportunity for organ donation. It allows the retrieval of organs from individuals who do not meet the criteria for donation after brain death. However, DCD raises ethical concerns due to challenges in the quality of end-of-life care, the determination of death, and potential conflicts of interest between organ procurement and the care of terminally ill patients. Standard DCD guidelines and protocols should be established to gain public and social acceptance and trust in organ donation, as well as to ensure the viability and quality of donor organs.
