Are DCD Donors Dead?

Donation after cardiac death protocols are widely accepted, so arguments for them have apparently been persuasive. But this does not mean they are sound.

Donation after cardiac death protocols are subject to two constraints. The first is that organ removal must occur as soon as possible after cardiac arrest. The second is that it must not occur so soon that the donor is not yet dead. Can both constraints be satisfied at once? DCD protocols are widely accepted, so arguments for them have apparently been persuasive. But this does not mean they are sound.