organs
1.Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Organs you can donate include: kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, skin, bone, bone marrow, and cornea (the front part of the eye). [source: medlineplus.com]
2.Organ donations usually occur for patients with kidney failure, heart disease, lung disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. For patients who need a kidney or a liver, a living donor’s organs can be utilized, since we are already born with an extra kidney and the liver is regenerative. However, if the patient needs a heart, lung, pancreas or cornea, the organ needs to come from a deceased donor. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
3.A transplant is usually the last course of action in the treatment of a patient, but if the patient is willing and able, it can be a good option. If the patient consents to an organ transplant, doctors put the patient’s name on a list by the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
4.UNOS has a database with all transplant patients awaiting organs and information on all organ transplant centers around the country, and the board of directors, which is made up of transplant doctors, establishes policies that decide who will get which organs. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
5.Acceptable donors are those who are brain dead but are still on life support. They are technically dead, but the body is still functioning, so the organs remain healthy. A match is made when both the donor and the recipient have the same blood and tissue type, and other medical factors are considered depending on the specific needs for each case. Also, how long a patient has been waiting for an organ is a big factor when choosing who will get which organ. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
2.Organ donations usually occur for patients with kidney failure, heart disease, lung disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. For patients who need a kidney or a liver, a living donor’s organs can be utilized, since we are already born with an extra kidney and the liver is regenerative. However, if the patient needs a heart, lung, pancreas or cornea, the organ needs to come from a deceased donor. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
3.A transplant is usually the last course of action in the treatment of a patient, but if the patient is willing and able, it can be a good option. If the patient consents to an organ transplant, doctors put the patient’s name on a list by the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
4.UNOS has a database with all transplant patients awaiting organs and information on all organ transplant centers around the country, and the board of directors, which is made up of transplant doctors, establishes policies that decide who will get which organs. [source: discoveryhealth.com]
5.Acceptable donors are those who are brain dead but are still on life support. They are technically dead, but the body is still functioning, so the organs remain healthy. A match is made when both the donor and the recipient have the same blood and tissue type, and other medical factors are considered depending on the specific needs for each case. Also, how long a patient has been waiting for an organ is a big factor when choosing who will get which organ. [source: discoveryhealth.com]