Organ Donation after Death
If you are looking for a way to keep on living other people’s life after death, organ donation after death is one of the best ways to do so. Even though thousands of people die every passing day, not many can contribute the gift of hope to a fellow human.
What is deceased organ donation?
When a person dies under certain circumstances the consent taken for the donation of an organ from relatives. Most commonly in brain-dead people who are on a ventilator, enough time available for the donation of healthy organs.
Once a person dies, the record checked to see whether this person is registered as a donor or not. If yes, this registration is legal consent. In this case, either, organ donation is not 100% confirmed. The relatives have the right to deny organ donation after death.
Is a brain-dead person dead?
In a brain-dead person, the heart keeps on beating. The patient kept on a ventilator so the oxygen supply and blood supply enough to keep the organs alive. The brain of that patient is not alive because of extensive damage and this injury is irreversible. This decision is made by a team of doctors who perform multiple tests and after a certain period, that person is declared dead.
How the organs are donated to recipients?
If the relatives give consent, arrangements for organ donation after death can be made. The team of transplant specialists performs the whole process. After donation, the information regarding the organ and the patient is put in the database. This data is matched with the data of patients in different hospitals waiting for organ donation.
After a match, the organ is transferred to a specific setting. The recipient is already in the operation theater waiting for the arrival of the organ. The transplant team replaces the surgical team. The team of doctors who does the transplantation is always different from the team caring for the patient
How specific organs are matched?
Matching of Heart
For successful transplantation of the heart, two things are important. One is the proximity of the recipient and the other is the size of the recipient. A heart can survive outside the body for 4-6 hours that’s why it is important to prioritize the nearby patient.
In addition to that, the size of the recipient is also important, so that the heart can fit in the rib cage perfectly. The blood type must be the same. HLA tissue typing is also done to lessen the chances of transplant failure. The duration of waiting for an organ is equally important.
Matching of the Liver
The liver can survive outside the body for almost 12-15 hours. The recipients are assigned the scores by using two criteria. One is a model for end-stage liver disease and the other is pediatric end-stage liver disease. Patient with the highest score is given priority for donation. If the organ is not matched with the recipient, the next recipient with the second-highest score is offered the transplant.
Conclusion
Organ donation after death can minimize the need for alive donors. The organs kept in machines that provide oxygen and nutrients to keep the organs in a healthy state. The organs are transported as soon as possible by respective teams while keeping a check on the viability status of the organ.