Researchers say 64 people in Quebec donated their organs after receiving medical assistance in dying between 2018 and the end of 2022.
They found donations from this group rose to comprise 14 per cent of all gifted organs in the final year of the study.
Researchers analyzed data on all MAID recipientsreferred to Transplant Quebec for possible organ donation over the five years and found the number of donorsclimbed from eight in 2018 to 24 in 2022.
Lead author Dr. Matthew Weiss, medical director at Transplant Quebec, says many of the 245 people referred for donationwithdrew from the process over concerns about some aspect of it, but there's no detailed data about their reasons.
He says some may have decided not to donate after learning they would be required to receive MAID medications in hospital instead of at home, so that organs could be retrieved quickly after their heart stopped.
Weiss says it's not known how many MAID providers offered patients a chance to donate their organs, and he'd like standardized reporting across Canada to understand outcomes.
The study involving donation of livers, kidneys and lungs was published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.