Organ Donation
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February 17, 2020
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Organs are Nature’s invaluable gifts to us! Every year, a staggering number of people with children alike wait for life-saving organ transplants. There is an obvious lag in the number of organ donors as compared to the ones who require transplants. Let’s read on to clear apprehensions surrounding organ donation.
Organ donation is the process of surgically removing a healthy organ from one person and surgically placing it in another whose organ has failed to function.
Organs that can be donated include:
Liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, lung, intestine, cornea, middle ear, skin, bone marrow, heart valves, and connective tissue. Hands and face have recently been added to the list of organs that can be successfully donated.
People of all ages evaluated for donor suitability can be organ donors.
- Most organ donations occur after the donor has died
- After being declared brain-dead, a person is identified as a suitable organ donor
- A living human being can also donate a healthy kidney or segment of healthy liver
Generally, live donors can still lead healthy lives with no change in life expectancy. However, it is essential to consult the transplant team about the long-term risks involved in the donation.
Organs thus donated are preserved suitably using hypothermia or preservative solutions until transplant.
Individuals who wish to be organ donors should join a donor registry and carry an organ donor card. They should also let their loved ones know their desire to be donors. There are no costs to the organ donor's family for donations.
You may become a donor if you wish to and can also spread this message about ‘anatomical gifting’!
Developed by Scientific Angle Publications LLP. brought to you by Health Meter Services
Disclaimer: Don’t follow any suggestions in this article without consulting a qualified doctor
Sources:
- ‘Organ Donation and Transplantation’-Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11750-organ-donation-and-transplantation
- ‘What can be donated’- organdonor.gov: https://www.organdonor.gov/about/what.html
- ‘Organ Preservation’- Medscape: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/431140-overview#a3
- ‘What to expect after donation’- National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/what-expect-after-donation