Declining brain death donation (DBD) in Spain contrasts with a robust rise in controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) from 2015 to 2024.
Uncontrolled donation after circulatory death (uDCD) has markedly declined, making cDCD the predominant DCD form (98.3% in 2024).
Neurocritical care interventions such as mechanical thrombectomy and decompressive craniectomy increased, potentially influencing donation potential and pathways.
DBD donors remain more efficient in organ recovery and transplantation yield compared to Maastricht category III cDCD donors.
