What Every Patient Needs to Know - UMC

Donation Facts and Figures• People of all ages and medical historiesare potential donors. As medical scienceadvances, donation opportunities change.Your medical condition at the time of deathwill determine what organs and tissue canbe donated.• Donated organs—heart, pancreas, kidneys,liver, lungs and intestines—save lives.Tissue is needed to replace bone, tendons,and ligaments lost to trauma or cancer andother diseases. Corneas are needed to restoresight. Skin grafts help burn patients healand often mean the difference between lifeand death. Heart valves repair cardiacdefects and damage. Even hands and facescan be transplanted to improve the lives ofthose in need.• All major religions either support organ andtissue donation as an unselfish act of charityor leave the decision to the individual. Someeven go so far as to say it is a “sin” not todonate organs when possible.• There is no cost to the deceased donor’s familyor estate for organ and tissue donation. Thedonor family pays only for medical care beforedeath and funeral expenses.• It is illegal to buy or sell organs and tissuein the United States.• It is possible to donate life as a living kidneydonor or as a partial liver, lung, pancreas, orintestine donor. For more information visitwww.transplantliving.org.• Each year since 2004, more than 7,000deceased donors make more than 20,000organ transplants possible. In addition, thereare more than 6,000 transplants each yearfrom living donors. There are about 30,000tissue donors and 40,000 cornea donorsannually, providing more than 900,000tissue and corneal transplants.• The need for donated organs and tissuecontinues to grow. More than 112,000 men,women, and children currently await lifesavingorgan transplants. Sadly, an averageof 18 people die each day because of a lackof available organs.• Each organ and tissue donor can save andenhance the lives of up to 50 people.To find your state’s online registry link,go to Donate Life America’s map athttp://donatelife.net/register-now/.The Organ and Tissue Donation Process• Organ and tissue donation becomes an optiononly after all life-saving efforts have beenmade and death has been declared. Donationdoes not interfere with medical care.• Consent for donation is confirmed by eitherverifying the person’s enrollment on a stateregistry or obtaining written consent fromthe family. The donor’s family is asked toparticipate in the process by providing amedical history.• A surgical procedure is used to recoverdonated organs and tissue. The body is alwaystreated with great care and respect.• Donation will not delay or change funeralarrangements, and will not interfere with anopen-casket funeral viewing.41