How Does Organ Donation Work

Organ donation saves thousands of lives every year. You've most likely heard of it, but how much do you know about it?

Whether you're considering becoming a donor or simply want to understand the process, this article explains everything from what can be donated to how organs are matched and transported for transplant.

What Organs and Tissues Can Be Donated?

Eight of the major organs can be transplanted. This includes:

• Heart
• Lungs (2)
• Kidneys (2)
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Intestines

While most organ donations come from deceased donors, living donors can donate one kidney, a lung, or a portion of their liver, pancreas, or intestine.

Tissues that can be donated:

• Corneas
• Heart valves
• Skin
• Bone and tendons

Corneal transplants are used to repair lost vision due to eye disease, injury, or birth defects. Sight for millions of people worldwide has been restored thanks to cornea donations.

Heart valves, skin, bone and tendons can dramatically improve the quality of life for recipients. These tissues can be stored in tissue banks and used to cover burns, repair hearts, and mend damaged connective tissue and cartilage.

Who Can Become an Organ Donor?

Since the need for organs and tissue transcends age, race, and ethnicity, almost anyone can become a donor. Even those with medical histories can be potential donors. It's the condition of the organs at the time of donation, not the donor's overall health that determines whether or not it is suitable for donation.

Of course, the first step to becoming an organ donor is registering in your state. This can be done online at https://www.donatelife.net/register/ or in-person at your local driver's license office. It's important to inform your family of your decision to be an organ donor so they can honor your wishes when the time comes.

How Deceased Organ Donation Works

Although millions of people are registered donors, only about 3 in 1,000 are able to donate when they die. This is due to the very precise conditions needed at the time of death to render the organ(s) viable for transplant.

Loss of life due to a fatal brain injury is optimal for organ donation. Under these circumstances, blood and oxygen continue to flow to the organs through artificial or mechanical support while the medical team tries to save the patient's life.

If the injury is too severe and the patient dies, tests will be immediately performed to determine the presence of brain activity. If none is detected and brain death is confirmed, organ donation is possible.

What Is Living Organ Donation?

While the majority of organ and tissue donations occur after the donor has died, over 7,000 living donations take place each year. Living donors need to be in good physical and mental health, over 18 years old, and free of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or heart disease.

A living donor can potentially give one of their two kidneys; one of two lobes of their liver; a lung or part of a lung, part of the pancreas, or part of the intestines.

Blood and bone marrow can also be donated, and in many cases, more than once. This is due to the body's amazing ability to regenerate and replace these living tissues.

How Organ Matching Works

Individuals in need of an organ or tissue transplant are registered in a national database operated by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). This computer system is used to partner donated organs with potential recipients.

Matching Factors Include:

• Blood type
• Body size
• Medical urgency
• Time on the waiting list

Geographic location is also a determining factor for proper match of organs such as a heart or lung since these organs can only survive outside the body for 4-6 hours.

In contrast, a liver's viability is up to 12 hours, and kidneys are 36-48 hours. Therefore, a wider geographic area can be considered when pairing a donated liver or kidney with a potential recipient.

How Organs Are Transported for Transplant

While the process of matching a donated organ to a potential recipient takes place, the medical team that worked on the patient prior to death is replaced by a transplant surgical team. They remove the organs and tissues from the donor's body and prepare them for transport to the intended recipients.

The local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) is responsible for securing the travel arrangements for the organs and tissues, and in many cases, the surgical team as well. Depending on the distance involved, this can be by ground ambulance, helicopter, or airplane.

Time-Critical Medical Transport You Can Trust

Grand Aire is proud to be a leading provider of on-demand air charter services for organ transport, working with OPOs and transplant centers nationwide. Our team operates 24/7/365 to deliver fast, reliable solutions when timing is critical.

To learn more about our medical air transport services, contact us at 1-800-70-GRAND or email our team directly at [email protected].