Organ donation

Organ donation is when a person allows to be removed, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or after death with the assent of the next of kin.

Donation may be for research, or, more commonly healthy transplantable organs and tissues may be donated to be transplanted into another person.

Common transplantations include: kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, bones, bone marrow, skin, and corneas. Some organs and tissues can be donated by living donors, such as a kidney or part of the liver, but most donations occur after the donor has died.

As of August 1, 2016, there are 120,004 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the US. Of these, 96,645 await kidney transplants. While views of organ donation are positive there is a large gap between the numbers of registered donors compared to those awaiting organ donations on a global level.

Organ donors are usually dead at the time of donation, but may be living. For living donors, organ donation typically involves extensive testing before the donation, including psychological evaluation to determine whether the would-be donor understands and consents to the donation. On the day of the donation, the donor and the recipient arrive at the hospital, just like they would for any other major surgery.

For dead donors, the process begins with verifying that the person is hopelessly dead, determining whether any organs could be donated, and obtaining consent for the donation of any usable organs. Normally, nothing is done until the person has already died, although if death is inevitable, it is possible to check for consent and to do some simple medical tests shortly beforehand, to help find a matching recipient. The verification of death is normally done by a neurologist (a physician specializing in brain function) that is not involved in the previous attempts to save the patient's life. This physician has nothing to do with the transplantation process. Verification of death is often done multiple times, to prevent doctors from overlooking any remaining sign of life, however small. After death, the hospital may keep the body on a mechanical ventilator and use other methods to keep the organs in good condition. Donors and their families are not charged for any expenses related to the donation.

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Wikipedia