Why is organ donation so important?

Why is organ donation so important?

Organ and tissue donation is lived solidarity. Even if dealing with issues such as illness and death is difficult for most people, an answer to the question of whether you want to donate organs is important. For many people waiting for an organ donation, it is a matter of life or death.

Why brain death in organ donation?

For an organ donation, it is crucial that the irreversible failure of all brain functions (brain death) has occurred, i.e. the person concerned has died. At the same time, the cardiovascular system still has to be maintained artificially so that the organs are supplied with oxygen and nutrients.

Why don’t you want to donate an organ?

An essential fact: Whoever donates an organ must not be dead. Healthy people who are unconscious and have no prospect of recovery are the most likely organ donors. During the hours-long removal of multiple organs, the donor must be kept alive.

What happens after an organ donation?

After the organ removal, the donor is no longer ventilated. If a deceased person who died of brain death consented to the organ donation while he was still alive or if his relatives did this for him after his death, he will be artificially ventilated until the removal operation.

How long does an organ removal take?

Organs may only be removed if the deceased consented to organ donation during their lifetime. Organs can only be donated by deceased persons who died under certain conditions. The prerequisite for organ donation is that all brain functions have irreversibly failed.

How long can an organ be outside the body?

When an organ transplant is pending, the clock is ticking: an organ can survive a maximum of twelve hours outside the body before it is damaged. But that could change in the future: US researchers have for the first time succeeded in preserving organs for up to four days without damage.

How long does it take to transplant an organ?

“The heart and lungs have to be transplanted within six hours, the liver and pancreas (the pancreas, editor’s note) within twelve hours and up to 24 hours for the kidneys,” explains Kirste.

How long can you live with a transplanted kidney?

Patients usually wait eight to ten years for a donor kidney. But the worries don’t stop after the transplant. Most donor organs fail after an average of 15 years.

Can the family see the deceased again after the organ removal?

Can the family see the deceased again after the organ removal? The family can say goodbye to the deceased in the way they wish. After the harvesting operation, the surgical wound is closed with due care.

Who decides who gets an organ?

Who gets a new organ and when is precisely regulated in Germany. The patients have to be put on a waiting list, and the organs are distributed via Eurotransplant in Leiden. Who gets a new organ? If you need a new organ in Germany, you have to go to a transplant center.

What diseases can lead to organ dependency?

Depending on the organ, a number of diseases can cause its function to fail. Here are some examples: Heart: coronary heart disease, various forms of heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), heart valve diseases, congenital heart defects.

What diseases exclude organ donation?

There are only a few diseases that rule out organ donation. For example, an organ donation may not be possible in the case of certain infections or acute cancer diseases. For all other diseases, the doctors decide whether an organ donation is an option based on the findings.

Who Needs Organ Donation?

The prerequisite is the unequivocal determination of brain death in the donor. In addition, the consent of the deceased himself or his relatives must be available. In a living donation, a living person donates an organ or part of it.

Should organ donation be mandatory?

“An objection solution is the obligation to deal with organ donation. According to this, everyone should be a potential organ donor if they do not object during their lifetime or if their relatives refuse after death. Currently, an organ donor – or their relatives – must actively consent to the donation.

When is a transplant necessary?

A transplant is always necessary when the function of an organ has been irretrievably lost and there are no other treatment options.

When do you need a new lung?

The lungs are responsible for breathing and thus for gas exchange in the body. If the lung is in danger of irreversibly failing and all other treatment options have been exhausted, a donor lung transplant can be considered.

When do I need a new heart?

Heart transplantation is considered in people who have advanced heart failure (heart failure). Mechanical support systems can bridge the waiting time for a donor heart, but they are not a permanent solution.