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A. No. Research facilities want whole
bodies for the purpose of study, therefore one must make the decision
between organ donation
and research donation. You may call the Nebraska Anatomical Board
at 559-6249 and they will provide you with more information on how
to donate your body for research.
Q. We always hear that there is a real need for
organ donors, but what are the numbers? How many people are waiting
for transplants
right now?
A. Currently, the UNOS national patient waiting list for
organ transplants contains over 71,000 patients. More than 400 patients
are waiting
in Nebraska. On average, more than 12 people die every day while
waiting for a transplant.
Q. How long does the average transplant
patient wait for a donor?
A. Waiting times are different for each organ and vary anywhere
from three months to two years depending on the patient’s
blood type, body size, and status while on the waiting list for
heart,
lung, liver, intestine and pancreas. People can wait up to 10
years in some instances for kidneys. Approximately one-third of
waiting
patients die while waiting for an organ to become available.
Q.
If I have agreed to donate my organs and tissues in the event
of my death, will medical professionals still take every step to
save my life?
A. Yes. First and foremost, medical professionals
are life savers. In addition, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act states: "the physician
who certifies death…shall not participate in the procedures
for removing or transplanting…" This assures there is
no conflict of interest for the physician caring for the patient.
It is a different team of physicians who cares for irreversibly brain-injured
patients than for the organ transplant recipients.
Q. Is my decision
to donate confidential?
A. Every attempt is made to assure the confidentiality of the donor,
the donor's family and the transplant recipient. However, each
institution and organ procurement agency has policies, which are
evolving out of frequent requests of donor and recipient families
who wish to meet. In a mutually consensual situation with appropriate
legally signed consents, these requests can sometimes be met.
Q.
Can I sell my organs and/or tissues?
A. No. Federal Public Law 98-507 prohibits the buying or selling
or organs and tissues.
Q. If I die in a hospital that doesn't do
transplants, can I still donate?
A. Organ and tissue recovery agencies will travel to any hospital
to recover and transport organs to transplant facilities.
Q
. Are
all the organs and tissues donated used as requested by the donor
and family?
A. Yes, unless the organs and/or tissues have been found
not to be suitable for transplantation (usually due to disease or
injury).
If family has given consent, organs not suitable for transplantation
may be used for valuable research.
Q. What are the age limits on
organ donation?
A. Each organ donor is evaluated on an individual basis. The oldest
cornea donor for research in Nebraska was 104 years old.
Organ donors: 0-85 years
Tissue donors: 0-75 years
Q. I have poor eyesight.
Can I still donate my eyes?
A. Yes. Poor vision is usually a disease of another part of the eye
other than the cornea. Your cornea may be suitable for transplantation.
If you have diabetes, retinal disease or other eye diseases, your
eyes still can be valuable for research.
Q. There seems to be a public
perception that some patients, such as celebrities, don't wait as
long for donor organs. Is there any
truth to that?
A. No. Organs are allocated to the sickest person,
with the most waiting time accrued, that matches the donor's blood
type and body
size, waiting at the transplant center in closest proximity to the
donor that becomes available. This is under revision at present,
as healthcare professionals strive to make the allocation system
more patient-driven system, and access, geographically more equitable.
In 1993, Robert Redford's son waited five months for the first liver
and another two months for the second. He was
a higher status the
second time.
Mickey Mantle again was the highest status patient
that matched the donated organ in his region at the time of his
transplant.
UNOS is overseen and audited by (HCFA) Federal Government
to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of organs.
Q. What are
some of the efforts being done nationally to make the allocation
system more patient-driven and not so transplant center
specific?
A
. UNOS committees work on revising allocation systems
as patients oftentimes choose to be transplanted at centers outside
of their
state of residence, often at transplant centers with high success
rates, but lower population sizes. Therefore, there is a smaller
donor pool from which to receive receive organs. The intent of the
new allocation system would make organs more equally accessible to
patients no matter where they choose to be transplanted.
Q. When
you talk about competition for the few organs that become available,
how many transplant centers are in the United States?
A
. There are
261 transplant centers. Many centers have multiple organ transplant
departments.
238 Kidney transplant programs
110 Liver transplant programs
117 Pancreas transplant programs
20 Pancreas-Islet Cell transplant programs
32 Intestine transplant programs
132 Heart transplant programs
80 Heart-Lung transplant programs
74 Lung transplant programs
Q. Where and what
types of organ transplants are performed in Nebraska?
A. Bryan Memorial Hospital, Lincoln........... Heart and lung
The
Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha.......... Liver, small bowel, lung,
kidney, pancreas, heart
The Nebraska Medical Center transplant program
is among the world's busiest and most successful. In addition, cornea
and bone transplants
are being performed daily at about 11 Nebraska hospitals. The Nebraska
Medical Center Bone Marrow Transplant Program is the third largest
and busiest bone marrow transplant center in the world.
Q
. How do
I become a donor?
A. The easiest way to become a donor is to fill out a donor card
and be sure to inform your next-of-kin of your decision.
Q. Is there
an age limit on being a donor?
A. No. Each potential donor is reviewed on a case by case basis.
Q.
If I had cancer, can I still be a donor?
A. For individuals with a past history of cancer (this generally
means being cancer free for many years), it is possible to become
a donor. Each case is given a full medical evaluation to determine
the health of the donor at their time of death.
Q. How do I become
a living donor?
A. If you are wishing to be a living-related donor, please contact
your relative's physician to discuss the possibility.
Q. If I have
Lupus can I still be a donor?
A. Yes. Lupus does not immediately
exclude you from donation. Your complete medical history will be
reviewed at the time of your death
in order to determine the health of your individual organs.
Q. What
if I want to donate my whole body?
A. You need to contact the curator's office at a medical school.
Q. I am a diabetic, can I still be an organ donor?
A. Possibly. This would depend on the type of diabetes and the amount
of time the individual was being treated for it. Again, any issues
of medical suitability would be determined by a medical evaluation
at the time of death.
Q. I have hepatitis, can I still be a donor?
A. A past history or exposure to hepatitis does not automatically
exclude a person from being a donor. Your medical history would
be evaluated at the time of death to determine whether you are
eligible to be a donor.
Q. If I were a donor, would there be any
cost to my family or estate?
A. No. The OPO covers the costs of the transplantation procedures.
You or your insurance company is responsible for your hospital
bills prior to your death. Your next-of-kin or estate are responsible
for the funeral expenses.
Q. I have tested positive for HIV, am I
still able to be an organ donor?
A. Due to the risks of disease transmission, UNOS policy excludes
the use of donors who have tested positive for HIV.
Q. Who can give
consent for donation?
A. Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, the legal next-of-kin,
spouse, adult child, parents and sibling (in this order).
Q. How
is the body reconstructed after bone is removed?
A. Prosthetic devices are used to replace bones removed in the recovery
process and eye caps are inserted following eye donation.
Q. What
are the benefits of tissue transplantation?
A
. Tissue transplants
enhance the quality of life of the recipient, except for skin, which
saves more lives than all tissues and organs
combined. Listed below are some of the ways tissue is used to help
recipients:
- Skin grafts for burn victims.
- Reconstruction
of shattered limbs to prevent amputation.
- Fusing of spinal defects
to reduce pain.
- Replacement of benign cystic bone defects to improve
mobility.
- Replacement of cancerous bone tumors to prevent amputation.
- Straighten
and strengthen backs distorted by scoliosis.
- Replacement of hip bones
to restore mobility.
- Dental and reconstruction surgery to restore
normal facial appearance.
- Prevention of blindness.
- Restoration of sight.
- Heart by-pass surgery through use of saphenous
veins.
- Restoration of blood flow through use of
saphenous veins.
- Replacement
of defective heart valves.
- Repair damaged ligaments, cartilage and
tendons for improved mobility.
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