11-17-2022, 12:45 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: India
Posts: 80,567
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TOP 10 important things one should keep in mind when considering organ donation
5 important things one should keep in mind when considering organ donation:
- Let’s look at Living Donation: This is when a living person donates one of their organs to another person who needs it. In India, this is done for one kidney or a part of a liver. In India under the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act (THOTA) 1994, this is only allowed from a near relative to another. People who are unrelated need special permission from an Authorization Committee to be able to donate. This is done to prevent organ trading between two unrelated individuals. Most transplants in India are Living donations.
- Deceased organ donation: This is organ donation from a person who has been declared brain-dead. Organ donation cannot happen after any kind of death. A person must be declared brain-dead by a team of authorized doctors at a hospital for their organs to be donated. If one person donates their vital organs, they can save up to 8 lives! Heart, liver, Kidneys, pancreas, lungs, and intestines can all be donated provided the organs are healthy.
- Brain Death and its relation to organ donation: A brain death or brain stem death results from a severe irreversible injury to the brain. A person is said to be brain-dead when there is an irreversible loss of consciousness, absence of brain stem reflexes and no spontaneous respiration. This happens when those with injuries reach the hospital and are given crucial life support, but because of the severity of the injury, the entire brain ceases to function, and they are declared Brain Death. But since she/he is on life support, he is still breathing (artificially) and circulation to vital organs is maintained for a short period of time. Therefore, the organs are still alive and functioning at the time of brain death and can be surgically removed for organ donation. For the family, this is difficult to accept. They can see the deceased breathing artificially which makes them question if she/he is dead. More awareness of brain death will reduce this confusion in their minds.
- Family consent: Without this, there will be no organ donation. Organ donations require prior consent from the potential donor or the donor’s family. In India, according to the THOTA Act 1994, the next of kin of the patient will decide whether to donate their organs. For any family faced with a tragic death, taking decisions especially when they are not familiar with the concept of organ donation and Brain Death is very difficult. Therefore, it’s important that if you want to be an organ donor, for you to tell you family. Ultimately, it is their decision.
- Allocations of organs: Organs from deceased donors are matched with different recipients’ blood group and size who are waitlisted on the hospital and government registries and transplanted into them to save their lives. This allocation process is transparent and is handled by government nodal agencies in each state, and by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) at a central level. It is roughly estimated that over 5 Lakh people need an organ transplant every year and barely 5% receive one. Each one of us can change that with one small decision.
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