Organ Donor

Organ donation offers a second chance at life to people with life-threatening diseases or injuries to their vital organs. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 others through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Table of contents

• What Is Organ Donation
• Who Can Be an Organ Donor
• What Can Be Donated
• Types of Organ Donation
• How to Register as an Organ Donor
• The Organ Donation Process
• How Organs Are Matched to Recipients
• Living Organ Donation
• Cost and Funeral Arrangements
• Common Myths About Organ Donation
• The Need for Organ Donors

What Is Organ Donation

Organ donation means giving your organ, or part of an organ, to someone who needs it to live. Organ transplantation is the surgical process of removing the organ from you and installing it in the person who needs it^[1]. An organ donor is usually somebody who recently died and volunteered to donate their organs while they were alive. But not always. Living donors can also donate certain organs and tissues during their lifetimes^[1].

Organ transplantation offers a second chance at life to people who have life-threatening diseases or injuries to their vital organs. Organ donation and transplantation is a surgical process that replaces a failing organ with a healthy one from somebody else who doesn’t need it. It involves two back-to-back surgeries: one for the donor and one for the recipient^[1].

Who Can Be an Organ Donor

Almost everyone is a potential organ or tissue donor. There’s no official age limit, and most people can donate some tissues even if disease has affected other parts^[1]. People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated^[2].

Anyone can become a potential organ donor regardless of age, ethnicity or medical history. All major religions support or permit organ, eye and tissue donation^[7]. In 2021, one out of every three people who donated organs was over the age of 50. You’re never too old to make a difference — as of 2021, the oldest organ donor in the United States was 92^[6].

Healthcare providers assess the health of your organs and tissues when they become available. There are no diseases that automatically prevent you from being a donor^[5]. If you want to become a living donor, healthcare providers will assess your overall health to ensure your safety before going ahead^[1].

What Can Be Donated

Many organs and tissues can be donated to help save or improve lives. Organs that you can donate include your liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, lungs, intestines, and uterus^[1].

Other body tissues that you can donate include corneas, heart valves, bone marrow, bone, skin, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, nerves, hands, and face^[1]. Organs and tissue that can be donated include heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, nerve and heart valves^[2].

Donated organs, including the heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver, lungs, and intestines can save someone’s life. Tissue is used to replace bone, tendons, and ligaments lost to trauma, cancer and other diseases. Corneas are used to restore sight. Skin grafts help burn patients heal, and often can save their life. Heart valves repair heart defects and damage^[5].

Types of Organ Donation

There are two main types of organ donation: deceased donation and living donation. The deceased donation process begins with a decision you make while alive to help save people with end-stage organ disease by donating your organs when you die^[4].

People most frequently become donors after a stroke, heart attack or severe head injury. Brain death is diagnosed as an irreversible loss of blood flow to the whole brain, causing the brain to die. After brain death, the donor’s body is supported by artificial means, such as a ventilator^[4].

Living donation is when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ for transplantation. Most living donors donate one of their kidneys or a part of their liver. Much more rarely, living donors may donate other organs^[15]. About 6,500 living donation transplants take place each year^[14].

How to Register as an Organ Donor

To become an organ donor after your death in the U.S., you can register with the National Donate Life Registry at registerme.org or your state registry site. You can find your state on the federal site at organdonor.gov/sign-up^[1].

You can also register your choice at your local DMV or BMV on your state driver’s license or ID. The Health app on your iPhone can send your information to the national registry^[1]. All New Yorkers 16 years old and up can register to save lives by signing up as an organ and tissue donor^[5].

Joining a registry gives your legal consent to donate your organs after your death. It’s also a good idea to talk to your family about your wish to become an organ donor. If you’ve already registered, this helps to prevent unnecessary surprises. If you haven’t yet, it can help your family advocate for your wishes^[1].

Even if you have indicated your wishes on your driver’s license, state donor registry or the National Donate Life Registry, share your decision with your family so they know your wishes^[2].

The Organ Donation Process

When someone becomes a potential organ donor, a specialized team of EMTs and paramedics begin life-saving efforts at the scene and contact emergency room doctors during transport. When the team arrives, ER doctors and nurses evaluate injuries and continue life-saving measures, including a ventilator, IV fluids, blood replacement and medicine to help the heart keep beating^[4].

After vital signs stabilize, the patient is transferred to the ICU, where a doctor performs special tests to see how much damage has been done to the brain and organs. The medical team continues advanced life saving measures during the tests^[4].

Specially-trained medical practitioners from the organ procurement organization (OPO) go to the hospital to see if the patient is medically suitable for organ donation. The doctor talks to the family about the patient’s death. Then, someone from the OPO, or specially-trained hospital staff, talks to the family about donation^[4].

If the patient signed up to be a donor in his or her state or national registry, that information is shared with the family and the OPO family counselor talks to the family to explain the donation process and answer all of the family’s questions. The OPO and hospital work together as a team to support the family and honor the patient’s wishes^[4].

Consent for donation is confirmed by enrollment in the NYS Donate Life Registry, by family or the person with the power to make decisions for the potential donor. Family might be asked to give information about the patient’s medical and personal history. Organ and tissue recovery require surgery^[5].

The donor is taken to an operating room, where organs are surgically removed. After that, the organs are sent to the transplant hospitals where candidates are waiting for them. The donor is treated with honor and respect throughout the donation^[4].

How Organs Are Matched to Recipients

A national computer system and strict standards are in place to ensure ethical and fair distribution of organs. Organs are matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency, waiting time and geographic location^[2].

The donor’s blood type, height, weight, the hospital zip code and other data are entered into UNOS’ national computer system to begin the organ allocation process. Appropriate candidates are found for whom the donor’s organs are the best match. Timing is especially important at this step and during recovery^[4].

Organs are matched to people using medical information like blood type, body size and tissue. Recipients are found on a national waiting list operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)^[5]. It is a federal felony to give or receive money or any other tangible gift in exchange for a donated organ^[2].

Transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic background. Donors are needed for all races and ethnic groups^[2].

Living Organ Donation

Parts that you can donate while you’re still alive include one kidney, a piece of your liver, gestational tissue (leftover tissue after the birth of your newborn), your uterus, and in rare circumstances, a part of your lung, pancreas or intestine^[1].

You can start the process to become a living organ donor by contacting an organ donation and transplant center near you. If you want to direct your donation to someone you know who needs an organ, contact their transplant hospital. The process will start with a series of screening tests^[1].

You must be at least 18, old enough to give your legal consent, in good physical health with minimal surgical risk, in good mental health with sound motivations for donating, well informed of the process and potential outcomes, a free volunteer and not donating under pressure, and a blood match with the person you’re donating to^[1].

Most living donors donate one of their kidneys or a part of their liver. 85% of people on the organ transplant waiting list need a kidney. A kidney is the most commonly donated organ. Your remaining kidney removes waste from the body^[14]. When you donate a segment of the liver, remaining liver cells grow or refresh until your liver is almost its original size. This happens in a short amount of time for both you and the recipient^[14].

Most living donors go on to live healthy and active lives. Most living donors report living donation as a positive emotional experience. Living donors tend to have similar or better quality of life than before the donation^[14]. Living kidney donors typically stay two to three days in the hospital; liver donors can expect about a five-day stay^[14].

Unlike deceased donors, a living donor can decide who to donate their organ to, helping a recipient get an organ transplant faster. Most living donations happen between family members or close friends. Other people choose to donate to someone they don’t know^[14].

Cost and Funeral Arrangements

There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for organ and tissue donation^[2]. All costs directly related to the organ donation are covered by the recipient’s insurance. Hospital expenses incurred before the donation of organs, in attempts to save the donor’s life, remain the responsibility of the donor’s family. Families are also responsible for expenses related to a donor’s funeral^[17].

An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors^[2]. Donation does not usually change funeral arrangements, and an open casket is possible^[5]. The body is treated with dignity, care and respect throughout the entire donation process^[7].

After donation, the donor is taken to a funeral home, and the OPO works with the funeral director to honor the donor and donor family’s funeral wishes^[4].

Common Myths About Organ Donation

Despite continuing efforts at public education, misconceptions and inaccuracies about donation persist. One common myth is that if you agree to donate your organs, the hospital staff won’t work as hard to save your life. This is false. When you go to the hospital for treatment, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ donation can only be considered after death has been declared by a physician^[2].

People who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests to make sure they’re dead than are those who aren’t donating organs. These tests are done at no charge to their families^[20].

Another myth is that organ donation is against certain religions. Most major faiths accept organ donation. These include Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, most branches of Judaism and most Protestant faiths^[20].

Information about an organ donor is only released to the recipient if the family of the donor requests or agrees to it. Otherwise, a patient’s privacy is maintained for both donor families and recipients^[2].

The Need for Organ Donors

The need for organ donations far exceeds the available supply. In the U.S., over 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant on any given day. But only about 40,000 organ transplants take place in any given year^[1]. Currently, more than 100,000 men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants in the U.S. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives^[2].

In the United States, there are more than 120,000 people that need organ transplants. Each year, thousands of people die because a donor can’t be found for them^[5]. Every day in the U.S., about 17 people die because there aren’t enough donor organs for all who wait for a transplant^[20].

Every 8 minutes another person is added to the waiting list^[8]. On average, 150 people are added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list each day, one every 10 minutes. Sadly, an average of 22 patients die every day while waiting, simply because the organ they needed was not donated in time^[7].

One organ donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of more than 50 people^[17]. One organ donor can save 8 lives and help 75 more by donating tissue and corneas^[5].

The U.S. has performed more organ transplants than any other country. In 2023, there were more than 39,000 organ transplants from deceased donors. This represents an 8.9 percent increase over 2022 and marks the eleventh consecutive record-setting year^[2]. In 2023, more than 6,900 transplants were made possible by living donors^[15].