Frequently Asked Questions
Who can become a donor?
All individuals can indicate their intent to donate (persons under 18 years of age must have parent's or guardian's consent). Medical suitability for donation is determined at the time of death.
Are there age limits for donors ?
There are no age limitations on who can donate. The deciding factor on whether a person can donate is the person's physical condition, not the person's age. Newborns as well as senior citizens have been organ donors. Persons younger than 18 years of age must have a parent's or guardian's consent.
Can I sell my or
How do I express my wishes to become an organ and tissue donor?
1.Indicate your intent to bean organ and tissue donor on your driver's license.
2.Carry an organ donor card.
3.Most important, discuss your decision with family members and loved ones,
If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver's license, will my wishes be carried out?
Even if you sign a donor card it is essential that your family know your wishes. Your family may be asked to sign a consent form in order for your donation to occur.
!f you wish to learn how organ donation preferences are documented and honored where you live, contact your local organ procurement organization (OPO). The OPO can advise you of specific local procedures, such as joining donor registries, that are available to residents in your area.
How are organs Patients are ma typing, medical L
How many peoi can have a tran: The number of I number of availe waiting list each please go to the
Organs: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines
Tissue: cornea, skin, bone marrow, heart valves, and connective tissue .
Bone marrow
No! Every effort is made to save your life before donation is considered.
Will donation disfigure my body? Can there be an open casket funeral?
Donation does not disfigure the body and does not interfere with having a funeral, including open casket services.
Why should minorities be particularly concerned about organ donation?
Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Whites. Native Americans are four times more likely than Whites to suffer from diabetes. Some of these diseases are best treated through transplantation; others can only be treated through transplantation.
Successful transplantation often is enhanced by the matching of organs between members of the same ethnic and racial group. For example, any patient is less likely to reject a kidney if it is donated by an individual who is genetically similar. Generally, people are genetically more similar to people of their own ethnicity or race than to people of other races. Therefore, a shortage of organs donated by minorities can contribute to death and longer waiting periods for transplants for minorities.
The donor's family does not pay for the cost of the organ donation. All costs related to donation of organs and tissues are paid by the recipient, usually through insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
d tissue donor?
Can I sell my organs?
No! The National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 98-507) makes it ILLEGAL to sell human organs and tissues. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment. Among the reasons for this rule is the concern of Congress that buying and selling of organs might lead to inequitable access to donor organs with the wealthy having an unfair advantage.
How are organs distributed?
Patients are matched to organs based on a number of factors including blood and tissue typing, medical urgency, time on the waiting list, and geographical location.
How many people are currently waiting for each organ to become available so they can have a transplant?
The number of people requiring a life-saving transplant continues to rise faster than the number of available donors. Approximately 300 new transplant candidates are added to the waiting list each month. For the number of patients now on the waiting list and other data, please go to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Web site.
Can I be an organ and tissue donor and also donate my body to medical science?
Total body donation is an option, but not if you choose to be an organ and tissue donor. If you wish to donate your entire body, you should directly contact the facility of your choice to make arrangements. Medical schools, research facilities and other agencies need to study bodies to gain greater understanding of disease mechanisms in humans. This research is vital to saving and improving lives.
Can non-resident aliens donate and receive organs?
Non-resident aliens can both donate and receive organs in the United States. In 2001, 334 (2.7%) of the 12,375 organ donors were non-resident aliens. In this same year, 259 (1 %) of the 23,998 transplants performed were on non-resident aliens.
Organs are allocated according to medical need and not according to citizenship of the patient. Organ allocation is based on the principles of equity and medical utility with the concept of justice applied to both access (consideration), as well as allocation (distribution). Policies developed by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) allow up to 5% of recipients at a transplant center to be from other countries.
From 1988 2002, 278,504 transplants were performed in the U.S. Of that total, only 2,728 were performed on non resident aliens, which represent less than 1 % of the total transplants performed.
DEFINING DEATH:
Most people think of death as occurring when the heart stops beating. This is called cardiac
death. However, death can also occur when the brain stops functioning. This is called brain
death. The way a person dies will influence which organs and tissues can be donated. .
What is cardiac death?
The Three things happen when cardiac death occurs
1.The heart stops beating and cannot be restarted.
2The person stops breathing.
3.The brain then stops functioning because it has been starved of oxygen.
The person is dead. He or she cannot recover.
People who die in this way can donate tissues such as heart valves, bones, corneas and skin
up to 24 hours after they die.
The same things occur when a person is brain dead but they occur in a different order.
1. The brain stops functioning because it is deprived of oxygen (as a result of injury and/or swelling).
2. Breathing stops because the brain is dead.
3. Finally the heart stops beating.
The person is dead. He or she cannot recover.
To be able to donate organs such as heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas, a person must
be brain dead, on a ventilator (artificial breathing machine) and in hospital. Without a supply
main cont2 of oxygen from the ventilator, these organs would not be suitable for transplantation.
An explanation of brain death.
Some people are hospitalised with brain injuries for illnesses that can result in brain death.
Some injuries include bleeding into the brain, accidents, infections or brain tumours.
Brain death occurs when the brain has been so badly damaged that blood and oxygen cannot
Reach it and the brain stops functioning brain death is irreversible
Someone who is brain dead and who remains on a ventilator will continue to look as if he or she is still breathing because the ventilator is artificially pushing air in the lungs. The heartwill also continue to beat because oxygen is being supplied to the heart. However, the heart and other organs will eventually stop working regardless of medical intervention.
When the brain is injured it swells just as an ankle or finger does when it is injured. However,
the brain is held in a bony skull and has no room to expand. As the brain swells,
Builds up inside the skull. There increased pressure causes
Blood (and oxygen) to stop flowing to the brain.
The brain cells to die (brain cells cannot regrow).
The brain to push onto the brain stem (where the spinal cord and the brain are
at the back of the neck) stopping vital brain stem functions.
The brain stem controls .
Breathing .
Blood pressure .
Heart rate
Body temperature
A person who is brain dead cannot breathe or feel pain, cannot see, hear talk smell, cough or swallow.
corneas and skin
a different order. s a result of injury
Two specialist doctors must perform two separate sets of tests to determine that death has occurred. The specialists who perform the tests must not be involved in transplantation in any way. These tests focus on brain function and are done at the patient's bedside. Additional tests which may be performed include x-ray angiography. These tests show that all blood supply to the brain has stopped. There must be no brain function and no blood flow to the brain to establish that death has occurred.
The donor coordinator is responsible for the coordination of organ and tissue donation and is
the main contact for hospitals and donor families. He or she may have been involved in the discussions regarding organ or tissue donation. The donor coordinator continues to be available following donation to answer any questions that you or your family may still have about the donation process and outcome.
The Coordinator liaises with health professionals throughout Australia and New Zealand
The donation process can take a number of hours. It is important that the donor coordinator is obtains as much information as possible about the donor and his or her health, to enable the best possible outcome for the recipients.
This includes the following:
Routine blood tests (virology) to exclude any infections that could be passed on to the recipient.
Blood tests to match the donor's tissue as closely as possible with that of the recipient. This is called tissue typing. These tests help to decrease the chance of rejection following organ transplantation.
In each state a Donor Coordinator remains with the donor throughout the donation procedure, to ensure that all wishes and requests of the donor and their family, are carried out.
Donor Coordinators are also responsible for follow-up communication to donor families, should they require further information. They are able to advise families of the progress of the transplant recipients and to arrange support for donor families.
Another aspect of the coordinator's role is to provide on-going education to health professionals, community groups and the general public. Donor coordinators are continually reviewing their practice and the services provided.
Feedback from families is welcomed and at times invited, to ensure that their needs and the needs of future donor families are met.
Q. Are there any cases where a patient was certified brain dead and later
woke up?
No. Sometimes in news stories, the words'brain dead' are used incorrectly. The patients who woke up were in a deep coma with some brain function and blood supply totheir brain.
After death has been confirmed, there is no reason to continue treatment. This is the time when you will be informed that your relative is dead and the option of organ donation will be raised bythe medical staff.
Life Link encourages open debate and discussion about brain death. If you wish to explore this topic further, we recommend the following sources of information:
Experience shows that family rarely, if ever, go against the known wishes of their loved one. Difficulties may occur when families do not know their loved ones wishes hence the need for family discussion. It is standard practice in Australia to obtain written authority from the family before proceeding with organ donation.
Organs which can be donated include
. Heart
. Lungs
Liver
Kidneys .
Pancreas and pancreas islets
Tissues which can be donated include .
Corneas(eyes)
.Heart valves
.Skin
.Bone
.Cartilage, tendons
.Bone marrow
.Veins
Organ donation always occurs in a hospital's operating theatre after death has been confirmed and the family has given written authorisation. Specialised surgical retrieval teams attend the donor hospital. Potential organ donors are never transferred to a metropolitan hospital for the purpose of organ retrieval. Tissue retrieval may occur outside a hospital but is always performed by specially trained staff and is a surgical procedure.
If a person dies in a hospital or nursing home, the family may be asked whether they wanted to donate tissues. If the death occurs elsewhere, the next-of-kin should let the attending doctor or funeral director know if this is what the deceased person wanted. This should be done as soon as possible after death.
The body is always treated with respect and dignity, and the family can view and spend time with their relative after organ or tissue retrieval if they wish. Normal funeral and burial arrangements can then proceed.