The Mayo Clinic dispels 10 donation myths
Summary Statements of Various Religious Groups About Organ and Tissue Donation
Basic Facts About the Donation Process
Anyone can be a potential organ and tissue donor, regardless of age. Eligibility may be affected by medical/social history or cause of death and is determined on a case-by-case basis at the time of death.
Organ (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and pancreas) donation can only be done when a donor has been declared brain dead or, in some instances, after cardiac death. In both cases, strict death criteria must be met, so viable organ donors are rare.
Tissue donation (eyes, bone, skin, veins, heart valves, tendons, etc.) can occur even after the heart has ceased beating. Most deaths can be potential tissue donors (depending on a medical/social history and other factors). Organ donors can also be tissue donors.
You may still be able to be an organ donor even if you cannot donate blood, have diabetes, or high blood pressure. In fact, very few medical conditions would prevent someone from potentially becoming an organ donor.
There is no charge to the donor, the donor's family, or the donor's estate for donation related expenses. After death has been declared, all laboratory tests, surgical fees, doctor's fees, etc. are then billed to the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO).
Funding for organ recovery activities is derived from standard acquisition fees charged to the transplant centers receiving the organs. These acquisition fees include expenses for surgeons, compatibility testing, transportation, donor hospitals, and clinical coordinators. The OPO bills the transplant center, which, in turn, bills the recipient and their health insurance. Funding for tissue recovery activities is derived from standard acquisition fees charged to the tissue processing agency, which, in turn, bills the physicians and hospitals utilizing these tissues.
Organs are recovered in a sterile operating room using qualified surgical personnel and protocols. Tissues are often recovered in operating rooms but can also be recovered in sterile surgical facilities at medical examiners' offices or at some mortuaries. All donations are treated with respect and dignity.
Organ and tissue donation involves standard surgical techniques and the suture lines are located where clothing will cover them. Prosthetic devices are used with bone and eye donation to maintain body form. Organ and tissue donors may opt for open casket funerals, depending on family wishes and original injuries.
When a donated organ becomes available, a list is generated from United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) which ranks recipients based on proximity to donor (because of time constraints on donated organs), blood type, length of time on waiting list, severity of illness, size compatibility of organs, tissue types (for kidneys), etc. Organs are then placed based on these criteria.
The first priority for medical personnel is to save the lives of their patients. Organ and tissue donation is not even discussed until every life saving option is exhausted and death has been declared or is imminent. The doctors and nurses at the medical center are completely separate from those who work for the Organ Procurement Organization.
Federal rules require medical personnel to ask a family about donation. Federal law requires hospitals to notify the OPO in their area of every death. Organ and tissue donation is a right and these laws were enacted to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to decide about organ and tissue donation. If your family hasn’t been approached, you have every right to ask about the option.
