Dominique Martin | 4 September
Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series
Understanding Normothermic Regional Perfusion and Its Implications for the Dead 
Donor Rule

Hi everyone,

Please join us for the next SHE Conversation series of semester 2 with 
Professor Dominique Martin.
Speaker
Professor Dominique Martin
Professor in Health Ethics and Professionalism, Deakin University
Dominique<https://t.e2ma.net/click/fca0jt/zzp74o8/v033app> is Professor of 
Health Ethics and Professionalism in the School of Medicine at Deakin 
University, where she leads the Ethics, Law, and Professionalism team. Her 
research focuses on ethical issues in nephrology, organ and tissue donation and 
transplantation, and professionalism in healthcare. Dominique led the 
development of the 2025 National Health and Medical Research Council Ethical 
guidelines for organ, cell and tissue donation and transplantation in Australia 
and is a member of the inaugural Lancet Commission for Transplantation. She 
collaborates regularly with professional organisations such as the 
international, Australia and New Zealand, and European transplantation 
societies and the International Society of Nephrology, as well as health 
authorities such as the World Health Organization and the Australian Organ and 
Tissue Authority.
Abstract
Understanding Normothermic Regional Perfusion and Its Implications for the Dead 
Donor Rule

In some countries, the use of normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) techniques 
has expanded opportunities for the successful recovery and transplantation of 
organs from deceased donors.  In the context of controlled donation following 
the circulatory determination of death (cDCDD), NRP protocols enable the rapid 
restoration of circulation to organs within the abdominal or thoraco-abdominal 
regions of the body while preventing circulation to the brain. Timely 
reperfusion of organs via NRP reduces the duration of organ ischaemia, which 
can lead to graft failure, while the prevention of cerebral perfusion arguably 
ensures that the subsequent recovery of organs does not violate the “dead donor 
rule” (DDR). This fundamental norm of donation ethics holds that recovery of 
vital organs must not occur before death and that donation should not be the 
cause of death.

In this talk I will discuss some of the key questions and controversies 
surrounding the use of NRP in the context of the DDR. These include whether 
restoration of circulation via NRP invalidates the lawful declaration of death 
using circulatory criteria; whether interventions to prevent restoration of 
cerebral circulation as part of NRP implicate donation in the aetiology of 
death; and whether the unifying brain-based concept of death can successfully 
resolve ethical concerns regarding NRP and the DDR.
When
4th September 2025
12:00–1:00 PM
Where
A27, Dean’s Boardroom/Conference Room
Level 2 (Main Entrance from Fisher Road, immediate left after you enter).
Joining online? Register here: Zoom registration link 
<https://t.e2ma.net/click/fca0jt/zzp74o8/bt43app>
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Supriya 
Subramani: 
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>​.
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