Leah Lambe, BSN, RN, CEN, shares lessons from the new Gift of Life Donor Program at Penn Medicine
Leah Lambe, far left, with other members of the nursing team at the Gift of Life Donor Program at Penn Medicine
Leah Lambe, BSN, RN, CEN, has a unique window into the power of organ donation as manager of the new Gift of Life Donor Program at Penn Medicine. Located inside the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) with a specialized intensive care unit and three operating rooms, the center is one of the few surgical facilities in the U.S. exclusively dedicated for deceased organ and tissue donors.
Lambe supervises the nurses and nursing assistants working with a team of intensivist physicians, respiratory therapists, and other specialists at HUP, along with staff from the Gift of Life Donor Program – the region’s organ procurement organization and the nation’s largest – to maximize a dying patient’s final gifts. Studies show specialized donor facilities like this lead to an increase in the quality and number of organs that can be recovered for transplantation, thus leading to more lives saved. The center cares for deceased donors meeting specific clinical criteria who are transferred from hospitals across Gift of Life’s region with their families’ permission.
How has the launch gone?
As of mid-March, we had cared for 68 total donors and made it possible for over 250 organs to be transplanted. We currently see about 10 to 15 donors a month; at full capacity, we expect to have about 20 to 25 donors a month, or a donor in here 24/7. They stay in the ICU for about two days, and then they go to the OR for their procurement surgery.
What are some of the ways you honor donors and their families?
Gift of Life encourages the families to share what they want for their loved one in their final moments, and we take it to heart. One patient’s family requested that we play one of their favorite songs, so we made sure that that was playing in the background while their loved one was in our unit. We also have a moment of silence in the OR for every patient, led by the Gift of Life coordinator, where everyone stops what they’re doing. Our patients are giving the ultimate gift, and no matter how they died or what happened to them, they are like saviors and they should be treated as such.
What has been one takeaway since working in this role?
I’ve also been surprised to learn how widespread organ donation is here among our staff and their families. Since working in this role, I’ve run into so many people who I’ve worked with for years and didn’t know they had a family member pass away and then ultimately donate their organs. They tell me how it helped them throughout the grieving process, even 10 years later, knowing that their family was able to save lives from this really tragic event.