can you choose which organs you want to donate

When registering your decision to be an organ donor, you can choose what organs you’d want to donate. This could be all, or some of them, including your kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and/or small bowel. You can also donate your tissues – including heart valves and arteries, skin, bone and even your corneas.

Full Answer

What are the 6 organs that can be donated?

If you’re healthy and between age 18 and 60, you can donate blood stem cells. It’s best when the donor and the receiving patient’s tissue type or human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match. It’s easier to find a match in the same family or in the same racial or ethnic group.

Which organs and tissues can be donated after death?

You can choose to donate for transplant or research. When you put yourself on your state’s list, you agree to donate for transplants. This means that people in …

Can I donate all my organs while alive?

Yes, if you are donating a kidney or part of the liver when well yourself, although there are some restrictions depending on in which country you want to donate and where you live However, if you wish to donate after death, the donated organs are allotted to the first patient on the waiting list for the transplant, rarely it can be directed to a specific patient, again the rules being diferent in …

Who cannot be an organ donor?

Eight vital organs: heart, kidneys (2), pancreas, lungs (2), liver, intestines, hands, and face. Tissue: cornea, skin, heart valves, bone, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Bone marrow and stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) Learn more about what donations are acceptable.

What is the most beneficial organ to donate?

kidneysThe two organs that are needed most frequently are kidneys and livers. About 83 percent of the people on the national transplant waiting list are waiting for kidney transplants and about 12 percent are waiting for liver transplants according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Do you get to choose which kidney you donate?

What if I decide against being a living donor? Your decision to donate an organ must be completely voluntary and free from pressure. You have the right to decide that donating a kidney is not for you.

What are the rules for organ donation?

Just about anyone, at any age, can become an organ donor. Anyone younger than age18 needs to have the consent of a parent or guardian. For organ donation after death, a medical assessment will be done to determine what organs can be donated.Feb 13, 2022

How do doctors decide who gets an organ transplant?

Using a combination of donor and candidate medical data—including blood type, medical urgency and location of the transplant and donor hospitals—UNOS' system generates a rank-order of candidates to be offered each organ. This match is unique to each donor and each organ.May 23, 2017

Can O positive donate kidney to O negative?

Donors with blood type O... can donate to recipients with blood types A, B, AB and O (O is the universal donor: donors with O blood are compatible with any other blood type)

Can I donate my heart while still alive?

The heart must be donated by someone who is brain-dead but is still on life support. The donor heart must be in normal condition without disease and must be matched as closely as possible to your blood and /or tissue type to reduce the chance that your body will reject it.Apr 24, 2021

What organ has the biggest waiting list?

Waiting lists As of 2021, the organ with the most patients waiting for transplants in the U.S. was kidneys, followed by livers. Over 100 thousand patients were in need of a kidney at that time.

What is the hardest organ to transplant?

Lungs are the most difficult organ to transplant because they are highly susceptible to infections in the late stages of the donor's life. They can sustain damage during the process of recovering them from the donor or collapse after surgeons begin to ventilate them after transplant.May 23, 2019

How many organs can you donate?

One donor can donate up to 8 lifesaving organs. Still, it can be hard to think about. If you decide to donate your organs, doctors will work just as hard to save your life. Your choice to donate doesn’t mean you get different or less care. Also, you don’t need to think about your age and or any illnesses as you decide.

What is a whole body donation?

If any of them can’t be used, your state may use them for research, but that varies. If you want all your organs to go to research, you usually make what’s called a “whole-body donation” to a place such as a medical school.

Why do people choose to donate?

People choose to donate for different and personal reasons. Some want to help in medical research. Others want to give their organs for transplant.

What is organ procurement organization?

You may also want to talk to someone at what’s called an “organ procurement organization.”. These groups are certified by the government. They help sign up new organ donors and take care of the process. They can give you more information about being a donor.

What is organ transplant?

1. The recipient is identified by a hospital as someone who is in need of an organ/tissue transplant. 2. The recipient’s medical profile and details are verified by the hospital in charge. 3. The recipient is placed on a waiting list of either a hospital or a network of hospitals,which ORGAN India is creating.

How long can organs be stored?

The length of time donated organs and tissues can be kept outside the body, before transplantation is to occur, vary: Heart: 4-6 hours. Liver: 12-24 hours.

What are the different types of transplants?

There are two different kinds of transplant donations: 1. Living Donor Transplant – This occurs when a living person decides to donate his or her organ (s) to someone in need of a transplant. Living donors are usually family members or close friends of the person who requires a transplant.

Types of organ donation

Everyone has a choice as to whether or not they want to become an organ donor after they die, and if you choose to donate, you can choose to donate either some or all of your organs.

Kristof's story

Kristof was born with a very rare genetic condition, which led to liver failure. His life was saved at the age of three by an organ donor.

Adwoa's story

Adwoa received a life-changing cornea transplant that allowed her to qualify as a GP and travel the world.

Who can donate?

Have a medical condition? Are you a smoker, or are you unable to give blood? You may still be able to become an organ donor. Get the facts about eligibility here.

Have questions or concerns?

Get the facts behind common misconceptions around organ donation and funeral arrangements, faith and beliefs, the opt out system, family involvement and more.

Organ donation and your beliefs

All the major religions and belief systems in the UK support the principles of organ donation and transplantation.

Living donation

Most donation takes places after death, but you can donate some organs whilst you are alive.

What percentage of Americans support organ donation?

Misunderstandings about donation are one of the reasons why so few Americans are signed up for it even though 90 percent of the country supports it.

What is the national registry for organ donation?

People in need of organ donation are listed on a national registry. Information about them is also available on the registry including the organ needed, blood type, body type, urgency, and time on the waiting list. When an organ becomes available, the national registry is examined for potential recipients.

How many lives can an organ save?

Just one person’s organ donation can save up to eight lives and impact countless others. If you want the chance to change someone’s world, consider becoming a donor yourself. Talk with your loved ones about this decision of a lifetime.

What happens if the next of kin refuses to give authorization for organ donation?

If the next of kin refuses to give authorization or sign the donor consent form, the donation will not move forward.

Can every registered donor die?

Not every registered donor dies in a way that makes organ donation possible. In fact, only 1 percent of all registered donors can even become eligible for donation. When a donor dies, or when their death is imminent, medical professionals that coordinate with the organ donor registry evaluate the person. The evaluation includes things like:

What happens after organ transplant?

10. Donors buried or cremated. After the organ recovery surgery takes place, the donor is then transported to the funeral home for their burial or cremation per their and their family’s wishes.

Is it good to say I want to be an organ donor?

While saying “I want to be an organ donor” tells people of your good intentions, it’s not quite good enough if you actually want to become an organ donor. All organ donors must be registered with their state to be included in the organ donation process when they die.