Consent needed for organ retention, BMA says

The BMA issued interim guidelines this week emphasising the need to obtain families' consent for the removal and retention of organs from dead patients.

The guidance was given in the wake of a public outcry over the discovery that doctors routinely removed and stored the organs of dead children without the parents' consent or knowledge.

The practice first came to light during the inquiry into high death rates of children undergoing heart surgery at Bristol Royal Infirmary, which is due to report early …