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There are many types of donation possible, however, most fall into one of two
categories: organ donation or tissue donation. For information on living
donation, click the living donation button on the left. The main difference is
that for organ donation the donor must be brain dead. Tissue donors are not required to meet
this criteria. For each category there are additional requirements. To find out
more about the donation process select a link below.
Questions and Answers about Organ
Donation
What organs can be donated?
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Heart |
|
Lungs |
|
Intestine |
|
Liver |
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Pancreas |
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Kidneys |
What are the benefits of organ donation? Organ
transplants save lives. Also, donor families tell us that the act of
donation helps them in their grieving process. It does not take away their
pain of loss; however, it does help them to know that someone is alive because
of their loved one's donation.
What is the age limit for organ donors?
Term birth to no upper age limit.
How many deceased organ donors were there in 2002? There
were 6,183. Source: http://www.unos.org How
does the Organ Referral Process work?
- A person is admitted to a
hospital due to an accident or illness. Life-saving medical
care is performed.
- In a matter of hours or days, the
medical staff may determine that the patient will not
survive. The patient may become brain dead and may be
declared brain dead by the physician.
- The hospital calls the Donor
Services office to determine if the patient could be a potential
organ and/or tissue donor. A medical evaluation is conducted
to determine suitability for donation.
- If there is not medical potential
for organ and/or tissue donation, the family is not asked about
donation.
- If there
is potential for donation, DCI Donor Services will
determine whether the patient has put his/her wishes to become an organ
and/or tissue donor into writing by checking for a donor card,
living will, or drivers license. If no such legal
documents exist, the family is asked by Donor Services' staff.
- If the individual had signed up
to be a donor, or the family agrees to donation, the Donor
Services staff obtains
medical/social history from the legally designated family member.
Consent is obtained from the family only if the individual had not
indicated his wishes about donation.
- The Donor Services organ recovery coordinator
medically manages the patient, which includes watching vital signs, giving
fluids and making sure the organs are kept functioning. The coordinator generates a list of
patients registered with the United Network for Organ Sharing
(UNOS). The list of transplant candidates is ranked by a
computer program according to UNOS policies on organ
allocation. Several factors are taken into consideration in
identifying the best matched recipients. Some of these
factors include blood type,
medical urgency, length of time on the waiting list, and
geographic distance between the donor and the potential recipient (for heart and lung transplants).
- Organs are recovered by surgeons in
the operating room of the donor's hospital. Organs are then taken to the respective transplant centers for transplantation.
- Once donation is complete, the body is transferred to the funeral home.
Generally, donation does not delay funeral arrangements or affect the viewing of the body.
- Donor families wishing to do so
may receive follow-up information about
the organs and tissues recovered. The family is also offered bereavement support.
What is brain death and how is it determined?
Brain death occurs when a person has an irreversible, catastrophic brain injury, which causes total cessation of all brain function (the upper brain structure and brain stem). Brain death is not a coma or persistent vegetative state. Brain death is determined by a physician not associated with a transplantation team.
Some causes of brain death include:
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Trauma
to the brain (i.e., severe head injury caused by a motor vehicle crash, a
fall or a blow to the head) |
|
Cerebrovascular
injury ( i.e., stroke or aneurysm) |
|
Anoxia
( i.e., drowning or heart attack when the patient is revived, but not
before a lack of blood flow/oxygen to the brain has caused brain death) |
|
Brain
tumor |
How are organs allocated (matched) to appropriate recipients on the national waiting list?
UNOS has policies in place to ensure equitable organ allocation to patients registered on the computerized national waiting list. The registry lists the potential recipients' blood type, height,
age and weight. Matches are made based upon medical and scientific criteria, including tissue and blood type, medical urgency, waiting time on the list, and in the case of
lung and heart transplants, distance from the transplant center. UNOS policies
prohibit allocation based upon political influence, race, sex, or financial status.
Can my loved one have an open casket funeral?
Donation is done so there should be no noticeable differences that would prevent an open casket funeral.
Recovery coordinators provide funeral homes with detailed information about the donation
process so the donor can be prepared for burial with little or no complication or delay.
Is donation free to the families who want to donate? There
are no costs to the family for donation. All costs related to the donation
are paid for by the Donor Services office or transplant center. However,
the family is still responsible for the hospital expenses that were incurred
trying to save the patient's life and for funeral expenses. If a
family believes that they were billed incorrectly, the family should immediately
contact the Donor Services office.
What is done to ensure the transplant recipient's safety?
Every effort is made to ensure the safety of organ and tissue recipients.
All donors are meticulously screened for any infectious disease and a social history is gathered.
How long can organs be kept out of the body? Organs
can only be kept viable for transplant for a limited time between the donation and the
transplant operation. As soon as an organ is recovered from a donor, the
clock starts ticking to meet the deadline to get it transplanted into a waiting
recipient.
Below is a list of organs that can be
transplanted and how long the organ can be out of the body before
transplantation:
|
Heart
4-6 hours |
|
Lungs
4-6 hours |
|
Pancreas
12-24 hours |
|
Liver
12-24 hours |
|
Intestine 12-24 hours |
|
Kidneys
48-72 hours |
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Understanding Brain Death
If my loved one is brain dead, what does that mean?
Brain death means there is no activity in the brain. The brain is no longer functioning in any capacity and it never again will function.
What can cause brain death?
Death of the brain can occur from accidental injuries or illness. High blood pressure can also cause bleeding in the brain and result in death. A brain infection, a brain tumor or a traumatic injury may cause the brain to swell and lead to death.
How does the doctor determine brain death?
Doctors examining the patient will conduct a battery of tests to determine whether any brain activity is present. If all brain activity is absent, the patient is dead.
I have understood that when an individual dies, that his/her heart stops beating. If my loved one is dead, why does the heart continue to beat?
The heart is part of the autonomic nervous system and thus has the ability to beat independently of the brain as long as it has oxygen. The heart will eventually stop beating as all bodily systems begin to stop working shortly after brain death. Once this process has begun, it cannot be reversed.
At the time a physician declares brain death, the patient is dead.
Mechanical support (a breathing machine) keeps oxygen going to the organs until
they can be recovered for transplant. The machine is not keeping the
patient alive (brain death is irreversible and is legally and medically
recognized as death), it is merely keeping the organs viable until the organs
can be recovered.
Would removing the breathing machine be the same as causing the death of my loved one or not giving him/her the chance to recover?
No. The brain will never recover when it dies. Since the patient
has already been declared dead, removing the machine (which is artificially pumping air into the lungs)
cannot cause further harm or death.
What is the legal time of death for a brain dead patient?
The legal time of death is the date and time that doctors determine that all brain activity has ceased.
This is the time that is noted on the patient's death certificate.
Are there any proven cases where patients were declared brain dead and later were restored to a normal life?
No. Often the general public views brain death
and coma as the same. They are NOT! Brain death is always irreversible. Brain death is death.
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Questions and Answers
About Tissue Donation
What tissues can be donated through DCI Donor Services?
| Eye Tissue - whole eyes; corneas, sclera |
| Bone Tissue - bones of the arms, legs, hips, pelvis, spine,
ribs |
| Cardiovascular Tissue - heart for valves, saphenous/femoral
veins and arteries, thoracic aorta, aorto-iliac arteries |
| Connective Tissue - cartilage, tendons |
| Other Tissue - skin, pericardium |
Who can be a tissue donor?
Tissue donation can occur after either a declaration of cardiorespiratory death or brain death.
Most people are likely to be able to donate at least one of the above mentioned categories of tissue.
The upper age limit for females is age 75. There is no upper age limit for
males. What are the benefits of tissue transplantation?
Tissue transplants enhance the quality of life of the recipient, except for skin, which saves more lives than all tissues and organs combined. Listed below are some of the ways tissue is used to help recipients.
| Skin grafts for burn victims |
| Reconstruction of shattered limbs to prevent amputation |
| Fusing of spinal defects to reduce pain |
| Replacement of benign cystic bone defects to improve mobility |
| Replacement of cancerous bone tumors to prevent amputation |
| Straighten and strengthen backs distorted by scoliosis |
| Replacement of hip bones to restore mobility |
| Dental and reconstruction surgery to restore normal facial appearance |
| Prevention of blindness |
| Restoration of sight |
| Coronary by-pass surgery through use of saphenous veins |
| Restoration of blood flow through use of saphenous veins |
| Replacement of defective heart valves |
| Repair damaged cartilage and tendons for improved mobility |
| Creation of shunts for dialysis access
through use of femoral arteries |
Is there a national waiting list for tissue recipients?
There is not an official waiting list for tissue recipients, however, hundreds of thousands of people benefit from tissue donation each year. Tissue banks across the nation report that requests from surgeons for transplantable tissues are dramatically
increasing. Currently more than 800,000 Americans benefit from a tissue
transplant each year. What is the tissue transplantation success rate? Because most tissue transplantation involves little or no rejection, tissue transplants are successful about 95% of the time.
No immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporin, are required following tissue transplant surgery. Although artificial materials do exist for some types of transplants, research shows donor tissue to be far superior. How
is tissue recovered?
Tissue is recovered by trained technicians. The
procedure
occurs in a sterile operating room within the local hospital. The body is fully reconstructed, so that an open casket funeral is still possible following tissue donation. There is no cost to the donor's family. How many people can a single tissue donor benefit?
A single donor may benefit as many as 100 people. Tissue transplantation is the only method of treating many debilitating conditions. Every day, as a result of tissue donation, many people regain their sight, have restored mobility, or are saved from facing
amputation.
How Does the Tissue Referral Process Work?
- When a patient dies (the heart
stops beating), a hospital representative calls the local donor service
to report the death and give vital medical information to the
coordinator. If it is determined that the patient is not
eligible to donate tissue (due to age, infection, etc.) the family
will not be approached about donation. However, if it is
determined that the patient has potential to donate tissue, the
coordinator makes arrangements to talk to the family.
- DCI Donor Services will first
determine whether the patient has put their wishes to be an organ
and tissue donor into writing by checking for a donor card,
living will, or drivers license. If your wishes have
not been recorded, the coordinator will speak with the patient's
family. If the family agrees to donation,
the coordinator will obtain informed consent and a medical/social
history from the legally designated family member. This is done by a
telephone interview at the family's convenience, but as soon as
possible after death has been declared.
- After receiving this information,
the coordinator contacts the recovery team and relays the details
of the consent process. The recovery team then contacts the
appropriate hospital and schedules an operating room for the
tissue recovery.
- The coordinator picks up the
necessary supplies and proceeds to the hospital at the designated
time. Tissues are recovered by trained recovery technicians
and the procedure takes place in a sterile operating
room.
- After the removal of the tissues
for which consent was received, the body is fully reconstructed so
that an open casket funeral is still possible. The body is
then released to the funeral home of the family's choice.
- There is not an official waiting list for
tissue transplant candidates. However, each year more than 800,000 Americans benefit from tissue donation and over 46,500
people have their sight restored as a result of corneal
transplants.
- If the donor family chooses to do
so, they may receive
bereavement support and can be provided follow-up information about
the number of people who benefited from their loved
one's gifts.
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