DSO (German Organ Procurement Organization)

The Deutsche Stiftung Organtransplantation (DSO) is responsible for coordinating organ donation in Germany. DSO was founded by the Kuratorium für Dialyse und Nierentransplantation e.V. (KfH, Trusteeship for Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation) on October 7, 1984. DSO is an incorporated foundation according to civil law with over 1,000 staff, among them about 200 in full-time positions. After the German Transplant Law was passed in 1997, DSO was officially assigned the role of organ procurement agency by a contract which outlined its responsibilities in coordinating the organ donation procedure. To provide rapid local support to all German hospitals around the clock, DSO has divided the country into seven geographical organ donor regions. Each donor region comprises one or several federal states. Organ donation in each region is organised by a regional coordinating centre headed by an executive physician of DSO. In addition, there are one or more affiliated support offices in each region, from where the transplant coordinators organise their work in the hospitals. DSO coordinators work directly with intensive care units reporting a potential organ donor and can be contacted to discuss a possible organ donation. DSO coordinates all steps involved in an organ donation procedure and provides a range of services to support hospitals around the clock. These services include the transport of organs to the transplant centres and ensure that an organ donation can be performed in any hospital.