The purpose of organ donation is to make use of organs which are not needed by donors by giving them to recipients who will die without a transplant. Featured above is a picture often seen on any website which discusses organ donation. Becoming an organ donor is not something to be taken lightly, and the information below will explain exactly what it means.
![Picture](/uploads/8/3/2/6/83266668/organ-pie-chart_1.jpg?328)
Getting Started
For the organ donation process to begin, there must first be a donor referral. During this stage, potential donors are screened by the nearest Organ Procurement Organization, or OPO. The Indiana Donor Network (indianadonornetwork.org) serves as the OPO for the state of Indiana. Family members are also considered as potential donors for liver and kidney transplants. The recovery of potential donated organs is also discussed at this point.
After a potential donor is found, he or she must be screened both to see if the transplant procedure is medically suitable for them and to see if they are a good match for the transplant candidate. There are different stages to the screening process and a potential donor must pass through every stage to be considered
as a donor.
Moving Forward
After a donor, either living or deceased, is found to be a good match for the transplant candidate, the consent and authorization process begins. If a donor is already signed up on the organ, eye, and tissue donor registry then the attending doctor just needs to inform the family of the patient's wishes and explain the organ donation process to them. If the potential donor is not signed up on the donor registry, then the doctor will discuss the possibility of donation with the deceased's next of kin and help the family make the best choice for their situation. The wishes of the donor's family in a deceased donation are very important to doctors because donors are so important in saving lives. Part of the process which the family is very important in is gaining the deceased's medical and social history to foresee any issues that could occur during the transplant surgery and to determine which organs can be transplanted.
Next in the donation process are physical tests on the donor's body. Tests for infections in the body, blood borne diseases, and diagnostic testing on organs are conducted to gain as much information as possible about the donor before the transplant begins. Throughout this testing process, a transplant coordinator is responsible for overseeing the care of the donor prior to the transplant.
The Organ Procurement Transplant Network, which is run by the United Network for Organ Sharing, is responsible for matching a donor who has passed all of these tests with a transplant candidate. There are many factors which the system considers when matching donors with recipients, but financial status, social status, and race have no determination on who receives organs first. Factors that do matter are blood type, weight, body size, and the length of time that a patient has been on the waiting list, amongst other factors.
Completing the Transplant
After all recipient matches for a donor are found, the transplant network contacts the transplant centers for each patient until all of the organs have a recipient. The same transplant coordinator then makes arrangements for the retrieved organs to make it to the operating room of each recipient. After the organs are retrieved, the eyes and tissues are removed from the donor and then the donor is returned to the family, as close to his or her original appearance as possible. At this point the family can proceed with funeral plans. A few weeks later, the donor family receives a letter telling where their loved one's organs went, just without the names of the recipients.
For the organ donation process to begin, there must first be a donor referral. During this stage, potential donors are screened by the nearest Organ Procurement Organization, or OPO. The Indiana Donor Network (indianadonornetwork.org) serves as the OPO for the state of Indiana. Family members are also considered as potential donors for liver and kidney transplants. The recovery of potential donated organs is also discussed at this point.
After a potential donor is found, he or she must be screened both to see if the transplant procedure is medically suitable for them and to see if they are a good match for the transplant candidate. There are different stages to the screening process and a potential donor must pass through every stage to be considered
as a donor.
Moving Forward
After a donor, either living or deceased, is found to be a good match for the transplant candidate, the consent and authorization process begins. If a donor is already signed up on the organ, eye, and tissue donor registry then the attending doctor just needs to inform the family of the patient's wishes and explain the organ donation process to them. If the potential donor is not signed up on the donor registry, then the doctor will discuss the possibility of donation with the deceased's next of kin and help the family make the best choice for their situation. The wishes of the donor's family in a deceased donation are very important to doctors because donors are so important in saving lives. Part of the process which the family is very important in is gaining the deceased's medical and social history to foresee any issues that could occur during the transplant surgery and to determine which organs can be transplanted.
Next in the donation process are physical tests on the donor's body. Tests for infections in the body, blood borne diseases, and diagnostic testing on organs are conducted to gain as much information as possible about the donor before the transplant begins. Throughout this testing process, a transplant coordinator is responsible for overseeing the care of the donor prior to the transplant.
The Organ Procurement Transplant Network, which is run by the United Network for Organ Sharing, is responsible for matching a donor who has passed all of these tests with a transplant candidate. There are many factors which the system considers when matching donors with recipients, but financial status, social status, and race have no determination on who receives organs first. Factors that do matter are blood type, weight, body size, and the length of time that a patient has been on the waiting list, amongst other factors.
Completing the Transplant
After all recipient matches for a donor are found, the transplant network contacts the transplant centers for each patient until all of the organs have a recipient. The same transplant coordinator then makes arrangements for the retrieved organs to make it to the operating room of each recipient. After the organs are retrieved, the eyes and tissues are removed from the donor and then the donor is returned to the family, as close to his or her original appearance as possible. At this point the family can proceed with funeral plans. A few weeks later, the donor family receives a letter telling where their loved one's organs went, just without the names of the recipients.