ORGAN TRANSPLANTS Basic Facts and Organizations that Support Organ Transplantation

BASIC FACTS  No age limits  Under 18 requires parent or guardian consent  To donate, indicate on driver’s license and carry donor card  Assure family members know desire to be a donor  Donation does not disfigure body or interfere with funeral  All costs paid by recipient: insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid

BASIC FACTS continued  Organs:  Heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines  Tissues:  Cornea, skin, bone marrow, heart valves, and connective tissue  Selling organs is illegal  Why?

FACTS continued  Cornea is the most transplanted tissue  It is better to have a donor the same race because they are more genetically alike, but same race is not mandatory  Medical necessity is the first criteria considered to determine transplant candidacy

NATIONAL DONOR NETWORK  Patients on list matched by criteria: 1. Blood and tissue typing 2. Medical urgency 3. Time on the waiting list 4. Geographical location

ORGAN PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATIONS  Evaluate potential donors  Discuss donation with family members  Arrange for surgical removal of donated organs

BIOETHICAL ISSUES  Ethics of presumed consent  In other countries, organs are donated regardless if they have a donor card or not  Organ donations from prisoners and convicted criminals  Financial incentives for organ donation  Assessment for transplant candidacy  American citizen?  Lottery system: good or bad idea  Preferred status for organ donors